Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan: Border guards exchange fire near Vorukh exclave Sept. 14

Event

Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards exchanged mortar fire and gunshots in the poorly delineated border region between Tajikistan's Vorukh exclave and Kyrgyzstan's Batken Region early Sept. 14. One Tajik soldier was reportedly killed in the incident.

Heightened security and transport disruptions are likely near the impacted area in the coming days. Further exchanges of fire 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 of 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.