More than 90 dead in Tajik-Kyrgyz border clashes

At least 94 people were killed in clashes between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan this week, in the worst violence the countries have seen in years, while the international community called for calm.

The situation on the contested border between the two Central Asian neighbors was, however, calm on Sunday afternoon, according to Kyrgyz authorities.

Clashes regularly erupt between the two former Soviet republics, as around half of their 970-kilometer (600-mile) border is still to be demarcated.

Tajikistan said on Sunday that 35 of its citizens were killed, the first official death toll since armed clashes broke out on Wednesday.

On its Facebook page, the Tajik foreign ministry also reported 25 injured and said civilians, women, and children were among the victims.

The ministry accused Kyrgyz soldiers of killing 12 people in a drone strike on a mosque, six others in an attack against a school, and another seven when an ambulance came under fire.

AFP was not able independently to verify the claims.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan said Sunday 59 people had died in the southern border region of Batken, and 144 had been injured.

Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from Kyrgyz border regions over the past days, according to NGOs.

Kyrgyzstan’s emergency situations minister added on Sunday that four Kyrgyz soldiers were reported missing.

The country declared September 19 a national day of mourning.