Tajikistan accuses Kyrgyzstan of provoking latest border clash

Tajikistan on Saturday accused neighboring Kyrgyzstan of provoking a border clash, the latest in a series of armed confrontations between the two small impoverished Central Asian nations.

The frontier between the two countries, both of which host Russian military bases and are closely allied with Moscow, is poorly demarcated.

The Tajik foreign ministry said that on Friday, Kyrgyz military personnel had deliberately and illegally crossed the frontier near the village of Vorukh.

When told by Tajik border guards to leave, the Kyrgyz troops refused, and opened fire. The Tajik guards fired back and the two sides then agreed on a ceasefire, the ministry said in a statement on its website.

Tajikistan said Kyrgyzstan had broken an agreement not to send regular troops into border areas. This, it said, was "an unacceptable step leading to a sharp escalation of the situation along the frontier".

In April, both nations agreed to pull back some forces from the frontier after border guards exchanged fire twice in a day.

At least 49 people were killed in fighting in April 2021 which escalated from a similar border clash.