BISHKEK, April 29. /TASS/. The Kyrgyz Prosecutor General's Office has launched an investigation into the recent clash on the Tajik border.

"On April 29, 2021, this incident was recorded in the Prosecutor General's Office of Kyrgyzstan in the automated informational system <…> under Article 380 of the Kyrgyz Criminal Code (crime against peace)," the office said in a statement.

According to the latest data, the number of Kyrgyz citizens who were injured in a skirmish on the border with Tajikistan on Thursday rose to 96 and three died, including a child born in 2008. Media reports suggest that a border control officer is also among the dead.

The situation on the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan near the Golovnoy water intake facility escalated on April 28, after a conflict sparked between residents of the two countries’ border areas. On April 29, a firefight between Kyrgyzstan’s and Tajikistan’s military servicemen broke out. Both sides have reported injuries among their officers. According to Bishkek, Tajik military servicemen used machine guns and mortars during the firefight. Bishkek also accused Dushanbe of attempting to seize the water intake facility.

On the evening of April 29, the sides agreed to establish a ceasefire and withdraw their military units to their places of permanent assignment.

The length of the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is about 980 kilometers. Dozens of disputed sections remained along the border following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The last meeting of the demarcation commission was held in March 2021, and the delegations were led by the chairmen of the State Committees for National Security of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. At some sections, disputes and conflicts arise from time to time between residents of the border areas.