Risk of War Rises as Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan Fighting Leaves 20-plus Dead

There are renewed concerns of a war between Kyrgyzstan and neighboring Tajikistan following clashes along the countries' border that have left almost 30 people dead.

The Kyrgyz health ministry said on Friday that 24 people had been killed, while three people had been killed in Tajikistan, according to earlier reports from the Central Asian nation.

Both countries are former Soviet states and host Russian military bases, making any potential conflict between them cause for concern for President Vladimir Putin's government. Russian has offered to mediate the dispute and called for "urgent" measures to deal with the issue.

Russian forces are continuing to fight in Ukraine following the invasion that began on February 24 and Russia has suffered recent setbacks amid a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the east of the country.

A skirmish on the Kyrgyz-Tajik border began earlier this week and continued on Friday despite the fact that the two nations had agreed to a ceasefire from 4.00p.m. local time on Friday.

The clashes took place along the border between Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken province and Tajikistan's northern Sughd region.

Around a third of the 600-mile border is disputed between the former Soviet states and around 20,000 people have fled their homes amid the clashes, according to a regional branch of the Red Cross.

Interfax reported that the Kyrgyz ministry of emergency situations had evacuated 136,000 civilians from the area of conflict.

"From the Tajik side, shelling of the positions of the Kyrgyz side continues, and in some areas intense battles are going on," the Kyrgyz border service told Reuters on Saturday.

Kyrgyzstan has reported "intense battles" on the border that will add to concerns about potential escalation. Both sides accuse the other of having started the violence.

Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the Kyrgyz state committee on national security, has said that military casualties have been high, according to Russian news agency RIA.

"The situation is difficult and as for what will happen tomorrow - no one can give any guarantees," Tashiev said.

Kyrgyzstan has also claimed that Tajik forces have used tanks and armored personnel carriers as well as mortars and have entered at least one village. They further claimed that Tajik forces shelled an airport in the town of Batken.

Tajikistan has accused Kyrgyz forces of shelling one outpost and seven villages using "heavy weaponry."

Clashes along the disputed border are frequent but have de-escalated in the past. In 2021, 46 people were killed in incidents that raised serious concerns about a potential war.

Both nations are impoverished and have close ties with Russia, while the latest border clash is part of a long-running dispute following the fall of the Soviet Union and both countries gaining their independence. Any escalation could prove a major problem for Moscow as it continues to face sweeping international sanctions amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Newsweek has asked the State Department for comment.