BISHKEK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th April, 2021) The number of Kyrgyz people who sustained injuries after a shootout on the border with Tajikistan increased to 46, the Health Ministry of Kyrgyzstan told Sputnik on Thursday, adding that one person died.
The latest toll of casualties reported by the ministry stated one person killed and 31 others injured.
"As of 22.30 [16:30 GMT], the total number of victims in the incident on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border is 46 people. One of them is receiving treatment at home, one person died, and the remaining 44 people with gunshot wounds and injuries in various parts of the body are hospitalized in a facility in Batken region," a ministry spokesperson stated.
According to media, over 800 people were evacuated from the the Batken region in the south of Kyrgyzstan, where the border incident took place. Authorities reportedly provide the temporarily displaced locals with food and necessary supplies.
On Wednesday, the border services of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan clashed on the Batken section of the border after the Tajik side tried to install CCTV cameras on the poles of the power line. The Kyrgyz side attempted to cut the pole, and the troops entered a fight.
The conflict escalated on Thursday night as the sides started using firearms. As a result, two Tajik citizens were gravely injured, while Kyrgyzstan reported 16 people injured and one dead. After a period of armed confrontation, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agreed on a ceasefire and announced plans to organize joint groups to patrol the border.
The Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the state border periodically becomes a conflict zone between the local population or border guards of the two countries due to the lack of formal delineation.
