© Sputnik / Mikhail Voskresenskiy
"Three servicemen of the Boru special detachment of the National Security Committee's State Border Guard Service were killed in clashes with the Tajik side, 22 servicemen sustained injuries of differing levels of severity. The condition of two servicemen is assessed as grave," a spokesman for the Kyrgyz State Border Guard Service said.
The personnel extends condolences to families and friends of the victims, the spokesman continued.
"The border conflict resulted from a provocation by the Tajik side. On April 29, 2021, Tajik troops used squad weapons to fire shots at Kyrgyz border outposts and frontier posts. Also, the Tajik side shelled Tort-Kocho and Chir-Dobo areas of Batken region's Batken district from Mi-24 helicopter," the border guard service continued.
The conflict between border areas residents escalated into an armed confrontation between the two countries' military forces on Thursday. Twenty people were killed and 150 others injured in clashes that lasted over six hours. Late on Thursday, the sides agreed to a ceasefire and troops withdrawal from the border.
Comment: Notably, according to a recent report in the New York Times the Pentagon is 'discussing repositioning forces to neighboring states in the event they need to redeploy, suggesting Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan as candidates', all of which bring the US closer to Russia's border: US begins 'withdrawal' from Afghanistan... by sending MORE troops & gear for 'temporary force protection'