Uzbek Border Guards Shoot Kyrgyz Citizen

BISHKEK -- Uzbek border guards shot a young Kyrgyz woman last week after she tried to cross the border illegally, a spokeswoman for Kyrgyzstan's State Border Service says.

Similar incidents are frequent along borders between Central Asian countries as the borders have not been clearly set since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, and many segments of the borders remain disputed.

The incident allegedly occurred when Fatima Abdukaharova tried to cross the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border in a remote location instead of using a regular checkpoint.

Abdukaharova was wounded and is being treated in a hospital on the Uzbek side of the border.

Her condition was not immedately known.

Many people in towns and villages located close to the borders have relatives across the borders and visit them frequently.