16 Sep 2022 | 09:18 AM UTC
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan: Border clashes escalate on Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan frontier, as of Sept. 16 /update 1
Cross-border clashes escalating on Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan through mid-September. Further clashes likely.
Event
The conflict on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border has escalated as of Sept. 16, and clashes are likely to continue through mid-September. The two sides have released conflicting reports on the events. According to Kyrgyz sources, the Tajik side attacked border and civilian facilities in Batken Region, and residents are being evacuated away from the border. Tajikistan authorities claim that Kyrgyz border guards attacked the Dushanbe border guard outpost and several settlements in the Isfara and Bobojon-Gafurov areas. Both sides have suffered casualties although the numbers have not been confirmed. A meeting between the heads of Batken Region of Kyrgyzstan and Sughd Province of Tajikistan is scheduled to take place at the Kyzyl-Bel checkpoint, but the time is not confirmed.
Heightened security and transport disruptions are likely near the impacted area in the coming days. Military operations will likely continue, and further escalation of violence cannot be ruled out.
Context
Approximately half of the 970-km (602-mile) border shared by Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan has not yet been officially demarcated. Hence, clashes across the disputed border have frequently erupted since the two nations became independent with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. While most such incidents are small in scale and locally contained, a four-day border conflict between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan that began April 2021 left at least 50 people dead and over 40,000 civilians displaced. Kyrgyz and Tajik leaders are expected to attend a summit of the Shanghai Security Organization in Uzbekistan later this week.
Advice
Exercise heightened caution if operating in the border area between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Allow additional time for cross-border travel and for travel in areas near the shared border; carry relevant identification documents, and remain polite and nonconfrontational if questioned by security forces. Leave the area immediately at the first sign of a confrontation.
