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Tajiks Accuse Kyrgyzstan Of Using Drones To Violate Airspace Despite Cease-Fire

A burned-out truck sits on a road near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in the village of Ak-Say, some 1000 kilometers from Bishkek, on September 20.

Tajikistan has again accused Kyrgyzstan of continuing to violate its airspace by using drones following last week's deadly clashes, a charge denied by Bishkek, which says the situation along the border is calm.

In a September 22 statement, the Tajik Foreign Ministry urged "the Kyrgyz side to immediately stop violating the airspace of the Republic of Tajikistan."

"Otherwise, the Tajik side will regard the situation as preparation for the next aggression by Kyrgyzstan, the responsibility for which will lie with the Kyrgyz side," the statement said.

For its part, Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said in a statement on September 22 that the situation along the border was quiet, in accordance with the cease-fire agreements.

It's the second day in a row that Tajikistan has accused Kyrgyzstan of violating the cease-fire, which Kyrgyzstan denies.

Two days earlier, Bishkek and Dushanbe issued differing assessments of the situation, with Bishkek saying it had "normalized" while Dushanbe said it remained "complicated."

SEE ALSO: Tajikistan Says Kyrgyzstan Hides Military Hardware Close To Border, Despite Cease-Fire Deal

On September 19, an agreement was signed that reportedly paves the way for a complete cessation of hostilities and withdrawal of troops.

Kyrgyz officials say 59 citizens died in the recent clashes, and 183 were injured. Tajikistan has put its death toll at 41, but RFE/RL's Tajik Service reported a higher number after talking to relatives and friends of people killed during the clashes.

It concluded that 63 people, about half of them civilians, lost their lives and compiled a list of those killed.

The two sides have set up a joint working commission to monitor and implement the agreement.

Many border areas in Central Asia have been disputed since the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991.

The situation is particularly complicated near the numerous exclaves in the volatile Ferghana Valley, where the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan meet.

Almost half of the 970-kilometer Kyrgyz-Tajik border has yet to be demarcated, leading to repeated tensions since the two countries gained independence more than three decades ago.