Bishkek, September 18 (BNA) Kyrgyzstan said today, Sunday, that the death toll from the border conflict with Tajikistan has risen to 36 dead and 129 injured in the fighting between the two countries in Central Asia.
The former Soviet republics clashed over a border dispute from September 14-16, accusing each other of using tanks, mortars, rocket artillery, and drones to attack outposts and nearby settlements, killing at least 54 people.
Central Asian border issues stem largely from the Soviet era when Moscow tried to divide the region between groups whose settlements were often located amidst those of other ethnicities, Reuters reports.
Kyrgyzstan also said it had evacuated some 137,000 evacuees from the conflict zone.
Tajikistan did not give any official figures for casualties, but security sources said 30 people were killed this week.
The two sides agreed to a ceasefire on 16 September, but it has largely held despite several alleged bombing incidents.