The Chairman of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (SCNS) Kamchybek Tashiev explained at a meeting with deputy ministers of education and science, rectors of universities, directors of professional lyceums and colleges, where the problem of corruption in the educational sphere was discussed, why large losses were allowed in the border conflict with Tajikistan in the spring of 2021.
«Due to the corruptness of the previous authorities, we suffered large losses in the conflict with Tajikistan in the spring of 2021. Our border guards did not have any combat vehicles in working order, or even normal bulletproof vests. Not a single combat vehicle of ours started. Our soldiers went out only with machine guns and pistols produced 40-50 years ago. They had nothing. They did not even have bulletproof vests. Therefore, we had large losses,» he said.
According to the head of the security services, there was only one armored vehicle — a jeep donated by a crime boss Erkin Mambetaliev. This car was used to transport ammunition there and take out our killed or wounded soldiers.
Kamchybek Tashiev noted: when Sadyr Japarov’s team came to power, corruption had affected 70-80 percent of government agencies, which led to a significant weakening of all areas, including national security. This problem became most acute in the spring of 2021 during the Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan border conflict in Batken.
The SCNS head noted that the situation has changed dramatically since then.
«Thanks to a decrease in corruption, effective governance, targeted reforms and the renewal of the Armed Forces, the Kyrgyz Republic now has modern weapons, new armored vehicles produced in Russia and the UAE, as well as advanced Bayraktar and Aksungur UAVs,» he commented.
According to Kamchybek Tashiev, today the Kyrgyz army and the Border Service are fully provided with the necessary military equipment and ammunition and are among the most combat-ready troops in Central Asia.
Recall, an incident occurred on April 28, 2021 on the border near Golovnoy water distribution point in the village of Kok-Tash, Batken region. The verbal altercation escalated into a skirmish: the parties began throwing stones at each other. Then shooting began.
On the evening of April 29, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan agreed to cease fire and withdraw military forces to their previous locations.
At least 163 victims sought medical assistance, 33 people were killed, including a child. Days of mourning were declared in the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Golovnoy water distribution point is located at the source of the canals that replenish the Tortkul reservoir on the territory of Kyrgyzstan.