Clashes break out between border guards of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

By Nazir Aliyev Tayfur

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AA) - Clashes have broken out between the border guards of the Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, a local authority said on Friday.

The conflict between the border guards of the two neighboring countries erupted due to border violation, the press center of the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan said in a statement.

The clashes, which involved the use of mortars, started as the border guards of Tajikistan illegally breached the Kyrgyz frontier, the statement claimed.

It also stressed that all measures were taken to prevent the escalation of tensions, while the Tajik border guards were urged for an immediate cessation of the armed clashes.

In January, tensions between civilians of the two countries flared into conflict between border guard soldiers, but later the two states agreed on a complete cease-fire at the border.