After six days of fierce fighting that left dozens dead, the Central Asian ex-Soviet republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have reached a ceasefire agreement. The protocol was signed on Monday by the heads of the secret services of the two countries, Russian authorities reported. Troops and heavy weapons should be withdrawn at the border, it said. About 100 deaths have been reported on both sides since the fighting broke out on September 14.
The situation in the Kyrgyz border region of Batken is gradually stabilizing, said the head of the State Committee for National Security, Kamychbek Tashiyev. His counterpart from Tajikistan, Saymumin Yatimov, said: “We are convinced that real peace is now returning to our state borders.” Their meeting took place at the Guliston border crossing.
136,000 people evacuated
At least 59 people have been killed and 164 injured since the fighting broke out on September 14, according to official information on the Kyrgyz side. According to this information, 136,000 people from the crisis area in Batken province had to be taken to safety.
Tajikistan reported 41 deaths. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union more than 30 years ago, the two high-mountain countries have been at odds in many ways over their roughly 1,000-mile border.
Source: Krone
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