Nearly 100 people lie dead due to intense clashes along the border of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, reports from both governments indicate.
A total of 137,000 Kyrgyz people were displaced in the intense fighting, government sources cited by Reuters said. The intense three-day clashes saw the use of tanks, heavy artillery, and drones, causing extensive damage to Kyrgyz infrastructure. In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the leaders of both nations and urged them to resolve the situation swiftly through peaceful and diplomatic means.
US-TRAINED AFGHAN PILOTS CLOSE TO LEAVING TAJIKISTAN
The two ex-Soviet states have previously clashed over border disputes that stem back to the Soviet era despite the countries being de jure allies through the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. Nearly half of the two countries’ 564-mile border is contested, according to Euronews.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Though the conflict has broader implications, retired Col. Rich Outzen, a Vandenberg Coalition Advisory Board member and geopolitical analyst and consultant, told the Washington Examiner the “immediate causes and provocations” were “hyperlocal,” resulting from border guards shooting at each other.
