Asia | Beyond a boundary

Fighting erupts between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan

It is the deadliest border clash in Central Asia since the collapse of the Soviet Union

A service member of Kyrgyz special operations forces walks past a burnt car near Golovnoi water distribution facility outside the village of Kok-Tash in Batken province, Kyrgyzstan May 5, 2021. The clashes broke out last week along the frontier between Tajikistan's Sughd province and Kyrgyzstan's southern Batken province because of a dispute over a reservoir and pump, claimed by both sides, on the Isfara River. REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov - RC2H9N9D88IG

Sep 22nd 2022|ALMATY

When the leaders of China, India, Russia and several Central Asian countries travelled to Uzbekistan for a security summit on September 15th and 16th, most observers were watching for signs of cracks in the relationship between Vladimir Putin, who is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine, and his counterparts in India and China, who have remained close to him. Yet the regional powers’ partners in the region were more concerned by events closer to home. The day before the meeting started, fighting broke out over territorial disputes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Border disorder”