Tajikistan attacked several border villages of Kyrgyzstan in Leilek and Batken districts in the morning of September 16. Despite a ceasefire agreement, fighting on the border continued for two days.
The Tajik military invaded the territory of Kyrgyzstan and entered Dostuk and Ak-Sai villages in Batken district, as well as International, Dostuk, Arka and Borborduk villages in Leilek district.
Videos have been posted on the Web, showing military and civilians robbing, setting fire to houses, other objects and planting Tajik flags. According to preliminary data, houses, schools, medical institutions, and infrastructure were damaged.
Residents of Batken told 24.kg news agency how they fled from the shelling and the military.
First strike
On September 16, residents of Batken region woke up early in the morning from loud sounds — shots were fired from the neighboring Tajik village. Busalikha Egemberdieva lives in Dakhma village, which is located at the border.
«We don’t know what they were shooting from, but it was loud and scary. We all ran out and left the village. The children were half asleep, but they immediately understood what had happened. They already know: if we wake them up early, they immediately ask: «Did the Tajiks attack us?» We couldn’t get far, we had to hide. We sat quietly until noon. Then the guys came to the rescue and took us to a safe place,» she told.
The woman says that the children need the help of a psychologist. «They don’t cry, but they are very sad,» she said.
The Tajik military first of all destroyed mobile communications towers and transformers in Batken region, leaving Ak-Sai, Kok-Tash, Samarkandek and Dakhma villages without communication and electricity.
«We all left the village. We ran away just like before. After all, this is not the first time this has happened. I don’t even know what to say,» the former head of rural administration, Ergesh Niyazkulov, said.
According to the head of Ak-Sai, Erkin Zholchiev, not a single house, not a single social facility has survived in the village.
«We don’t yet know exactly how many houses were destroyed and burned, because we haven’t counted yet. It is approximately 80. They destroyed a school, a first-aid station, a kindergarten, a frontier post,» he told.
Children were on the way to school and kindergarten
Shelling of Leilek district began at 8 a.m. almost simultaneously in several villages.
Makhabat Ashyrapova lives in Eski-Oochu border village. She didn’t even have time to put on her slippers. She ran barefoot, holding her grandchildren in her arms.
«We were having breakfast and getting the kids ready for school. The young women were confused and frightened. My daughter-in-law couldn’t move from fright. She cried that her legs were numb. I pushed her, asked her to move. I took my grandson with one hand, and pushed the daughter-in-law with the other. We don’t have a car. A man stopped on the way and gave me shoes,» the woman said.
She and her grandchildren are in another village with relatives now.
«I want to tell a lot. It’s clear what the neighbors want, they claim our land and houses. Where should we go? The authorities must ensure our safety. I don’t know what would have happened to us if it weren’t for our valiant soldiers,» Makhabat Ashyrapova said.
Sairagul Toktonazarova, a teacher in Arka village school, like other Batken residents, was going to take her eldest son to school, and the youngest to kindergarten that morning. When they were about to leave the house, the sister-in-law, who lives in Batken region, called.
«She said that the Tajiks started shelling Batken and asked me not to go to work and leave my children at home. I hung up and told my sons to change. At this time, the shooting began. I took the children and ran outside. I thought I would go on foot, but a car stopped on the way,» Sairagul told.
Residents of border villages did not even have time to close their doors or get dressed. Their breakfast was left on the table. Leilek residents note that no one evacuated them, no one sent transport. Everyone reached a safe place on their own or with the help of fellow villagers.
Maksat came under fire again
According to local residents, their houses shook from the explosions of mortar shells. Residents of Maksat had to flee from shelling for the third time. It all started so suddenly that not everyone managed to escape. The men returned to the village more than once to take out the remaining residents.
«I showed the safe way to children. Everyone was in a state of shock. It wasn’t easy for me either. The Tajiks also fired at cars leaving the village. Several residents were wounded,» the head of Maksat village, Saparali Adinaev, told.
One villager was killed on September 16.
«One family remained in the village, there were children in the other part. We found them a day later,» Saparali Adinaev said.
Thanks to the efforts of the border guards, the Tajik units were unable to enter Maksat.
«Four or five houses burned down, several more were damaged by shell fragments. The first-aid station, the office of the head of the village burned down. The school building was also damaged,» Saparali Adinaev told.
65-year-old Makhabat Erkebaeva and her husband could not flee Maksat. They had to wait until 2 p.m. for a ceasefire.
«We saw smoke, a house on the outskirts of the village was burning. Then we saw our military man at the noon. He said that the first-aid station was also on fire and asked us to leave quickly. We ran with all our might. Tajiks seemed to see us, they shot at us even when we were in the mountains. I don’t know how we will live,» she said.
Aggressors robbed, burned everything in their path
The military of Tajikistan invaded several villages in Zhany-Zher rural area at once. According to the locals, they occupied Borborduk in the first place. Massive shelling was going on both in Dostuk and Arka.
«This time they shot with particular cruelty. They attacked all the villages at once. The residents barely managed to escape. They ran under the bullets. No one stopped and looked back,» Sulaiman Ergeshov, head of Dostuk village, told.
Shooting in part of the district went on for two days with breaks. Looting and arson were recorded on the first day.
According to Sulaiman Ergeshov, the Tajik military destroyed a reservoir for drinking water.
Arka village was destroyed the most. Local authorities are still counting the damage. According to local residents, the number of burned houses reaches 100. A kindergarten and a school were damaged.
According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a total of 136,770 residents of Batken region left their homes, 54,684 people of them are from Batken district, 26,600 — from Batken and 56,486 — from Leilek district.
