At least two Kyrgyz border guards were injured in clashes on Wednesday at the border between the central Asian countries of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where tensions regularly flare up.
Almost half of the 970 kilometre-long (600 miles) border shared between the ex-Soviet countries is still contested, and progress has been slow.
Tajik soldiers shot at Kyrgyz border patrols in the areas of Bulak-Bashi and Pasky-Aryk, in the southwestern region of Batken, according to Kyrgyz authorities.
In Bulak-Bashi, one Kyrgyz soldier was hit by shrapnel and another is suffering from a “concussion” according to the border control’s press service.
Tajik media Asia Plus said a Tajik border guard was killed and five others were injured — citing an anonymous source.
Tajik authorities later accused Kyrgyz forces of opening fire using mortars and machine guns on one of their border posts, according to official news agency Khovar.
Tajikistan has not yet provided any official toll following Wednesday’s clashes.
Negotiations are ongoing between border representatives from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to stabilise the situation, according to both sides.
Similar exchanges of fire happened over the past few months, underlining the instability of the situation.
In 2021, unprecedented clashes between the two sides left 50 dead, and raised fear of a broader conflict.
