Dushanbe/Bishkek. September 14th. INTERFAX - The Kyrgyz military fired a mortar and other firearms at the Tajik border post, this provoked today's shootout at the border, the press center of the border troops of the State Security Committee of Tajikistan said in a statement on Wednesday.
"On September 14, at approximately 7:15 (5:15 GMT - IF), border guards of the Bulakboshi border post of the Batken Border Detachment of the Kyrgyz Republic fired 4 mortar rounds towards the Keh border outpost of the Isfara Border Detachment of the Republic of Tajikistan, without any reason fired at the positions of Tajik border guards using PCs, AK and other firearms," the press center of the border troops of the State Security Committee of Tajikistan said in a statement published on the website of the National News Agency "Khovar".
In addition, according to the statement of the Tajik side, "additional military forces and means were transferred by the Kyrgyz Republic to this area."
"The servicemen of the Border Troops of the State Security Committee of the Republic of Tatarstan returned fire, negotiations are currently underway between the border representatives of the two sides in order to stabilize the situation and establish the reasons for the provocative actions of the border troops of the neighboring country," the press center reports.
The press service of the Executive Body of the state Authority of the Tajik city of Isfara reported that "according to available information, there are no wounded and injured among border guards and civilians from the Tajik side." "The situation is under the control of Tajik border guards," the press service said.
In turn, the Border Service of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan stated that the situation on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border remains tense, the Tajik side periodically opens fire.
"Despite the ceasefire agreements reached, the Tajik side periodically opens fire on the positions of the Kyrgyz border guards. The situation in the area of Bulak-Basha is characterized as tense," the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
According to the border guards, a meeting is taking place at the scene of the incident between the head of the regional department of the Border Service of the Kyrgyz National Security Committee for the Batken region and the head of the regional department of the Border Guard of the Tajik National Security Committee for the Sughd region.
As of 11:30 (8:30 Moscow time - IF), there are no injured or wounded among the Kyrgyz servicemen, the Border Service of the GKNB of the republic reported.
Earlier, the ministry reported that Tajik servicemen used mortars during a shootout with Kyrgyz border guards on an undescribed section of the joint border.
