6 wounded in Tajik-Kyrgyz border shooting

A Kyrgyz border guard opened fire at residents of Tajik border area, wounding six people, Tajik security authorities said Tuesday.

The wounded, including two in serious condition, were sent to a hospital.

The incident along the Tajik-Kyrgyz border took place on Monday when residents of the Kyrgyz village of Koktash blocked the flow of water to the Tajik village of Chorkuh.

In response to this, residents of Chorkuh blocked the road running to the Kyrgyz cemetery via Tajik territory.

About 200 local residents of Koktash and Chorkuh gathered near the border and threw stones at each other, damaging houses and injuring people.

Tajik and Kyrgyz police and border guards are currently keeping the situation under control.

In recent months, tensions along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border have intensified after outbreaks of violence involving residents and border guards.

Tajikistan shares a common border of 978 km with Kyrgyzstan, but only 530 km of it has been delimited so far.