Despite claims of intermittent firing by both sides, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reported no significant combat incidents on Saturday, indicating that the ceasefire they agreed to after fierce fighting on Friday was still in place.

This week, the two former Soviet republics engaged in fighting over a border dispute. Each side claimed the other had attacked outposts and nearby communities with tanks, mortars, rocket artillery, and assault drones, resulting in at least 54 fatalities.

The Soviet Union attempted to partition Central Asia into groupings, whose settlements were frequently mixed in with those of other nationalities. This led to many of the boundary disputes in the region today.

After reporting that 24 of its nationals had died in the battle and that 137,000 had been evacuated, Kyrgyzstan accused Tajik forces of bombarding its border outposts several times on Saturday.

Security sources reported that 30 people had died this week, including 15 who were inside a mosque that Tajikistan claims were struck by a Kyrgyz drone. Tajikistan has not released any official casualty figures.

The Sughd province in northern Tajikistan, where the skirmishes started, said that the border region was becoming less tense.
In a statement, it said that “people are getting back to their usual lives as a result of discussions between Tajik and Kyrgyz delegates.”