Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan announced another exacerbation of situation at the Kyrgyz-Tajik border today in the early hours. The state service described the situation as tense.
According to the Border Service, the Tajik side began to install a container on a disputed section of the border in Unzhu-Bulak area of Chon-Alai district today at 03.00 am, having penetrated 1 kilometer into the territory of Kyrgyzstan. By 6.00, the Tajiks moved 600 meters away from the installed container.
«There is an accumulation of military personnel in automobiles and lightly armored vehicles from the Tajik side. The units deployed on the Kyrgyz-Tajik section of the border have been put on combat alert,» the Border Service said.
Expert Alibek Mukambaev commented to 24.kg news agency on the situation at the epicenter of tension.
«There is a fact — Tajikistan entered Kyrgyzstan, installed a container and began to deploy manpower, despite the fact that a meeting of Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards took place there in mid-May, who agreed to jointly patrol this section, because it is disputed. After that, two weeks later, the Tajik side enters this very site,» he said.
«Secondly, it happens a month after a big conflict, which also causes surprise. We agreed with them that the use of heavy machinery against the civilian population is unacceptable, looting and killing of the civilian population is unacceptable. Death of civilians in border disputes should not be allowed. More than 30 people have been killed in Kyrgyzstan, including from mortar fire, at the hands of marauders. Therefore, the next tension on the border surprises and amazes,» Alibek Mukambaev said.
According to him, what is most surprising is that the Tajik border guards do not answer phone calls from our Border Service that could immediately stop and resolve the incident.
The actions of the Tajik border guards show that they do not want to stop the conflict. The trust in the Tajik side as a partner among the political circles and border guards of Kyrgyzstan was not at the highest level anyway. After such incidents, it will at least not grow, but will decline.
Alibek Mukambaev
The expert believes that every effort should be made to resolve the issue at the initial stage.
«It is necessary to contact directly the political, military leadership of Tajikistan, possibly the President Emomali Rahmon, in order to resolve this issue. The situation when they enter a certain distance into the territory of the state and illegally install objects cannot remain without response and can lead to new incidents,» the expert said.
A meeting of the border representatives of Kyrgyzstan for Osh direction with the border representatives of Tajikistan for Lyakhsh direction was held on May 18, 2021 in Unzhu-Bulak area of Chon-Alai district, Osh region. As a result of the meeting, it was decided that the border patrol units of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will not patrol the state border in Unzhu-Bulak area until the international legal registration of this section. Joint patrolling will be carried out by agreement of the parties only.
