2022 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes

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2022 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes
Part of the post-Soviet conflicts
Attack of Tajikistan on the population of Kyrgyzstan 2022.png
Map showing areas where clashes broke out within Kyrgyzstan
Date27 January 2022
10 March 2022
3 June 2022
14 June 2022
14–20 September 2022
Location
Result Status quo ante bellum
Belligerents
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan
Flag of Jihad.svg Afghan mujahids [1] [2] [3] (per Kyrgyzstan)
Flag of Kyrgyzstan (2023).svg  Kyrgyzstan
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Jihad.svg Shokh Iskandarzoda [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
Units involved
Casualties and losses
83 killed (per RFE/RL) [9]
200+ killed, 400+ injured (per Kyrgyzstan) [10]
63 killed [11] [12]
139 wounded
136,000 evacuated

A series of sporadic border clashes resumed between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on 27 January 2022, following a series of clashes in 2021 between the two countries. These events took place before and during Russia's invasion of Ukraine that began a month before the second clashes. [13]

Contents

Kyrgyzstan officials said that the clashes escalated on 14 September 2022, with Tajik forces using tanks, APCs, and mortars to enter at least one Kyrgyz village and shelling the airport of the Kyrgyz town of Batken and adjacent areas. [14] Both nations blamed each other for the fighting. [15] The border conflict continued for two days, after which the parties were able to agree to a ceasefire on the night of 16 September 2022, [16] which only held for about a day. [17] [18]

Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov said in a televised address that his country would continue efforts to resolve the Kyrgyz–Tajik border issues in a purely peaceful way. [19] Tajikistan's foreign ministry stated that the key to resolving the conflict lay in negotiations, and it reiterated its position that Kyrgyzstan had instigated the fighting. [20] Russian news agencies reported that both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had agreed to pull out additional military hardware and forces from the border, citing a statement from the head of the Sughd Region of Tajikistan. [19] On 20 September 2022, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan signed a peace deal. [21]

Background

Historical context

The territories that comprise present-day Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, both formerly part of the Khanate of Kokand, were conquered by the Russian Empire in the 19th century. [22] In the 1920s, the Soviet Union imposed delimitation in the two regions which resulted in enclaves. [23] Both countries became independent in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved. Both countries are also members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) [24] and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), [25] and are theoretically allied to each other.

Previous clashes

A border conflict started between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan on 28 April 2021. [26] The events surrounding the conflict's outbreak are disputed, but clashes reportedly began due to an old water dispute between the two countries, [27] [28] near the Vorukh enclave. [29] Some sources report an immediate reason for the conflict was the dissatisfaction of the local population with the installation of surveillance cameras near Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border. At least 55 people were killed in the events and more than 40,000 civilians were displaced. [30]

On 3 May 2021, both countries completed the withdrawal of troops from the border, [31] and on 18 May 2021, officials in both countries announced that they had agreed to joint security controls along their disputed border. [32] Apart from a small-scale incident on 9 July 2021, [33] the ceasefire held until January 2022.

Timeline

Sporadic clashes

On 27 January 2022, clashes resulted in the deaths of two civilians and the wounding of several more. [34] Tajikistan's State Committee for National Security said in a statement that ten of its citizens were injured, six of them servicemen, the rest civilians. On the other side, Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry said that at least 11 of its citizens were being treated for moderately serious injuries. Kyrgyzstan authorities stated that the blocking of a road between the provincial center of Batken and the Kyrgyz village of Isfana by Tajik citizens was the cause of the clashes. [34]

On 10 March, an armed incident between border guards at the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border, in the area of Teskey, Batken District, killed a Tajik border guard. Following the incident, officials from the Batken Region in Kyrgyzstan and the Sughd Region in Tajikistan held talks. [35] [36]

According to Tajik sources, a border clash occurred on 3 June after Kyrgyz soldiers crossed the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border close to Vorukh. [37] Two weeks later, on 14 June, a Tajik border guard was killed and three others injured in a clash with Kyrgyz border troops. [38]

Escalation

On 14 September, one Tajik border guard was killed and two others were wounded during clashes with Kyrgyz guards who accused Tajikistan of taking positions in a demarcated area. [39] Later the same day, two border guards were reported killed and eleven others wounded, five of whom were civilians. [40]

On 16 September, the conflict escalated. The use of tanks and armored personnel carriers was reported, as well as the shelling of the Batken Airport in the city of Batken, Kyrgyzstan. Tajikistan accused Kyrgyzstan of shelling an outpost and seven border villages with heavy weapons. Tajik forces also entered a Kyrgyz border village. At least 31 injuries were reported by Kyrgyzstan, while one civilian was killed and three others were injured according to Tajik forces in Isfara, and Kyrgyzstan later announced 24 people had died and 87 more were injured. [14] [41]

Multiple ceasefires between increasingly higher ranking officials have been reached but have repeatedly been broken. [14] Coincidentally, the leaders of both countries were attending the 2022 SCO summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where they met and discussed the conflict. [42] The Kyrgyz Parliament held an emergency meeting due to the situation. [43] More than 136,000 people were evacuated from the conflict zone by Kyrgyzstan. [44] Tajikistan said that 15 of its civilians were killed in a Kyrgyz Bayraktar TB2 drone strike on a mosque. [45] Kyrgyzstan declared a state of emergency in the Batken Region. [46]

Houses and civilian structures, including markets and schools, in the village of Ak-Sai in Kyrgyzstan were reported to have been intentionally burned and looted. Kyrgyzstan authorities said that 137,000 people had been evacuated to the Batken and Osh regions. [47]

Analysis

The Diplomat called the conflict an act of aggression by Tajikistan. It said that the attack could be related to speculation that Tajik President Emomali Rahmon plans to hand over his position to his son Rustam Emomali, who is currently the Chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan. It also theorized that President Rahmon might wish to pull the attention of domestic and international audiences away from protests in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region by the Pamiris. [48]

International reactions

Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Nasser Kanaani called for a resolution and offered Iran's assistance in mediation. [49]

Russian president Vladimir Putin called the leaders of both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, urging them to reach a peace agreement. [50] Russia has military bases in both countries. [51]

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement hoping that the tension ends quickly without further escalation and that the disputes are settled peacefully through dialogue. [52] Mustafa Şentop, the Speaker of Turkish Parliament, spoke on the phone with his Kyrgyz and Tajik counterparts, stating that "consultations between us as brothers are important in these days" and that "calm and common sense" are needed to solve the problems. [53]

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for a "dialogue for a lasting ceasefire" between the combatants. [54]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tajikistan</span> Landlocked country in Central Asia

Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital and most populous city. Tajikistan is bordered by Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east. It is separated from Pakistan by Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan</span> Central Asian nation

Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city of the country. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east and southeast. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's 7 million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians.

Batken is a town in southwestern Kyrgyzstan, on the southern fringe of the Fergana Valley. It is the administrative seat of Batken Region. Since 2000, it is a city of regional significance, i.e. not part of a district. However, it is still the administrative seat of Batken District. Its area is 205 square kilometres (79 sq mi), and its resident population was 27,730 in 2021. The population of the town proper was 15,805.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batken Region</span> Region of Kyrgyzstan

Batken Region is a region (oblus) of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Batken. It is bounded on the east by Osh Region, on the south, west and north by Tajikistan, and on the northeast by Uzbekistan. The northern part of the region is part of the flat, agricultural Ferghana Valley. The land rises southward to the mountains on the southern border: the Alay Mountains in the east, and the Turkestan Range in the west. Its total area is 17,048 km2 (6,582 sq mi). The resident population of the region was 548,247 as of January 2021. The region has sizeable Uzbek and Tajik minorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Osh Region</span> Region of Kyrgyzstan

Osh Region is a region (oblast) of Kyrgyzstan. Its capital is Osh, which is not part of the region. It is bounded by (clockwise) Jalal-Abad Region, Naryn Region, China (Xinjiang), Tajikistan, Batken Region, and Uzbekistan. Its total area is 28,934 km2 (11,171 sq mi). The resident population of the region was 1,391,649 as of January 2021. The region has a sizeable Uzbek minority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Razzakov</span> Town in Batken, Kyrgyzstan

Razzakov, formerly known as Isfana, is a small town in the extreme western end of Batken Region in southern Kyrgyzstan. The town is located in the southern part of the Fergana Valley, in a region surrounded on three sides by Tajikistan. It was renamed by President Sadyr Japarov in honour of Iskhak Razzakov on March 18, 2022.

Terrorism in Tajikistan stems largely from the forces of the political opposition who opposed the comprehensive peace agreement that ended the civil war in 1997. President Emomali Rahmonov and UTO leader Said Abdullah Nuri signed the agreement on 27 June, believing it would bring an end to hostilities. However, dissident Islamist militants led by Tohir Yo‘ldosh and Juma Namangani formed the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in 1998, allying with Al-Qaeda and vowing to unite Central Asia as an Islamic state. The latest terror attacks took place in the Qabodiyon District on November 6, 2019, when a policeman and a border guard were killed by several Islamic State militants. 15 terrorists were also killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vorukh</span> Jamoat in Sughd Region, Tajikistan

Vorukh is a jamoat in northern Tajikistan that forms part of the city of Isfara in Sughd Region. As of 2022, the jamoat had a total population of 45.000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations refers to the bilateral diplomatic relations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Both countries were a part of the Soviet Union. Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan relations have been tense in recent years. The two countries fought in border clashes in 2021 and 2022. Refugees and antigovernment fighters in Tajikistan have crossed into Kyrgyzstan several times, even taking hostages.

Chorku is a village and jamoat in northern Tajikistan. It is part of the city of Isfara in Sughd Region. The jamoat has a total population of 37,065 (2015). The Hazrati Shoh mausoleum in Chorku is from the 8th-10th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tsentralnoye, Kyrgyzstan</span> Place in Batken, Kyrgyzstan

Tsentralnoye is a village in Batken Region of Kyrgyzstan. It is part of the Leylek District. Its population was 6,900 in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Border Guard Service</span> Border security branch of Kyrgyzstans military

The Border Guard Service of the State Committee for National Security of the Kyrgyz Republic also commonly known as the Kyrgyz Frontier Force is the border guard of the Kyrgyz Republic. It is currently a Public Service department of the government of the republic and is not part of any ministries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batken conflict</span> 1999 military conflict between Kyrgyzstan and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan

The Batken conflict was a period of armed clashes between militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Armed Forces of Kyrgyzstan, with support to the latter being provided by the Uzbek Ground Forces. It was caused by incursions of IMU militants into Uzbek and Kyrgyz territory from Tajikistan and was in part, centered on the unilateral demarcation of the Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan border by Uzbekistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border</span> International border

The border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is 984 kilometres (611 mi) long and runs from the tripoint with Uzbekistan to the tripoint with China.

This is a list of individuals and events related to Kyrgyzstan in 2021.

This is a list of individuals and events related to Tajikistan in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan clashes</span> 2021–2022 conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

A three-day border conflict between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan began on 28 April 2021. The clashes stemmed from a long-running dispute over a water supply facility near the village of Kök-Tash. Tajik media raised some concern over military drills in Batken prior to the conflict.

This is a list of individuals and events related to Kyrgyzstan in 2022.

This is a list of individuals and events related to Tajikistan in 2022.

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