Shooting In Kyrgyz-Uzbek Frontier Kills Border Guard, Injures Another

Kyrgyz officials say an Uzbek border guard has been killed and another injured in an exchange of fire with Kyrgyz border guards.

The shoot-out occurred on July 23 in the district of Aksy in southern Kyrgyzstan. According to a Kyrgyz Border Service press release, the two Uzbek border guards illegally entered Kyrgyz territory and refused to obey Kyrgyz border guards' commands to go back.

The Kyrgyz statement says an argument broke out between the two sides before they exchanged fire.

There were no casualties on the Kyrgyz side. Tashkent has not yet officially commented on the incident.

Earlier this month, a Kyrgyz citizen was shot dead by Uzbek border guards near Kyrgyzstan's Aydarken border post.

Shootings along the Uzbek-Kyrgyz border are common and often stem from the theft of animals such as horses, cattle, or sheep.

Radio Free Europe