Tajik border service releases statement on clash between residents of border areas of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan

A statement released by the Main Border Guard Directorate at the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Tajikistan today says that a large group of residents of the Kyrgyz village of Kok-Tash armed with hunting guns gathered near the house of Kyrgyz national Sultanbek Abdullayev on Thursday evening.  They reportedly prevented the passage of citizens of Tajik citizens to the village of Somoniyon in the Chorkuh jamoat subordinate to the Tajik northern city of Isfara.  

“At around 9:30 pm, Kyrgyz nationals stoned Mercedes belonging to resident of the Tajik village of Khojai Alo, Zafar Azamov.  In response to the provocative actions of Kyrgyz citizens, residents of the Khojai Alo village at 00:10 am of January 10 stoned a car of Kyrgyz citizen.  Representatives of police departments of Isfara and Batken arrived in the scene of incident in proper time and took the situation under control,” says the statement. 

At around 2:00 am on January 10, residents of the Kyrgyz village of Kok-Tash began firing from hunting guns into the air but law enforcement officers and border guards of the two countries jointly prevented this provocation, according to the statement.

“Despite this, a personal car of an officer of the Isfara police department, Farhod Ikromzoda, came under fire from Kyrgyz territory at around 4:00 am,” Tajik border service’s statement says.

Currently, the situation is reportedly under control and a joint investigation commission is working at the incident scene to find out the reason and identify instigators.