Kyrgyzstan mourns border clash victims

By Nazir Aliyev Tayfur

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AA) - Kyrgyzstan on Saturday declared a two-day national mourning over the loss lives in recent clashes on the border with Tajikistan.

In a statement, the presidential press office said President Sadyr Japarov signed the order in this regard.

At least 31 Kyrgyz people were killed and 134 wounded in two days of clashes along a disputed section of the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border, according to the Kyrgyz Health Ministry.

The clashes started last Wednesday were over the control of the local water distribution network, local media in Kyrgyzstan reported.

On Friday, the Turkic Council urged Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to take joint measures to de-escalate tensions that erupted along the border.