Territorial Disputes in Central Asia on the Threshold of the 30th Anniversary of Independence

Jun 14, 2021 | Ermek Baisalov
View Original

The latest armed conflict on the border between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan was the bloodiest military clash in the region over the past 20 years. It was attended not only by local residents, but also by the military of the two countries with the use of mortar launchers, aviation, and heavy armors. As a result of the short war, dozens of people were killed on both sides and hundreds were injured, houses and other units were burned down.

Such conflicts are not uncommon in the region. There are especially many of them in the Fergana Valley, where ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and geographic lines intertwined just as colorful patterns of traditional oriental satin fabric.