The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan handed a note of protest to the Foreign Ministry of Tajikistan due to illegal and destructive actions. The ministry’s press service reported.
«The Kyrgyz side noted that on September 16, violating all previously reached agreements, the Tajik side, having pulled the troops to the border of Kyrgyzstan in advance, using armed forces, heavy military equipment, treacherously attacked border and civilian facilities along the entire perimeter of the Kyrgyz-Tajik state border in Batken and Leilek districts of Batken region of the Kyrgyz Republic,» the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Kyrgyzstan said in the statement.
The Kyrgyz side demanded to strictly comply with all the agreements reached, to cease fire and withdraw military formations. Not to create a situation that could lead to an escalation of the situation in the border areas, and again emphasized that all problems arising on the border should be resolved exclusively by political and diplomatic means.
Shooting started at several sites of the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on the morning of September 16. According to the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security, at about 6 a.m. the Tajik side started firing at the border detachments and the positions of the Kyrgyz side in the areas of Eki-Tash, Chyr-Dobo, Kum-Mazar and Orto-Boz from small arms and group weapons. At 6.30 a.m., the Tajik side began mortar shelling in the area of responsibility of Kok-Tash border outpost of Batken border detachment. At 7.15 a.m., Tajik servicemen began firing at Samarkandek border outpost.
