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Kyrgyz authorities send humanitarian aid to affected areas - Security Council

The work of a joint Kyrgyz-Tajik working group is underway "on controlling the withdrawal of forces and means of the sides to the places of permanent deployment"

BISHKEK, May 2. /TASS/. Kyrgyzstan’s authorities keep dealing with the aftermath of an armed conflict on the border with Tajikistan and have launched the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the affected areas, the Kyrgyz Security Council said on Sunday.

"The delivery of humanitarian assistance has been organized and it is on the way to the affected areas," the Council said, noting that 65 tonnes of humanitarian cargo would be sent.

The work of a joint Kyrgyz-Tajik working group is underway "on controlling the withdrawal of forces and means of the sides to the places of permanent deployment."

An emergency headquarters is working at the Security Council, consisting of representatives of the Interior Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, the Health Ministry and the State Committee for National Security, with the goal of monitoring the situation in the republic.

"The border units and forces of law enforcement agencies are on alert. The situation is controlled by President Sadyr Japarov," the statement said.

The situation on the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan near the Golovnoy water intake facility, which each side considers as its territory, escalated on April 28, after clashes had sparked between residents of the two countries’ border areas. On April 29, armed skirmishes between Kyrgyz and Tajik servicemen broke out. Kyrgyzstan accused Tajikistan of using mortars, machine guns and Mi-24 military helicopters. On the evening of April 29, the sides agreed to a ceasefire and the pullout of troops. However, separate flare-ups continued until May 1. On Saturday, at a meeting of representatives of the governments of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, the parties agreed to return military equipment to places of permanent deployment.

According to the Kyrgyz Ministry of Health, as a result of the conflict on the border with Tajikistan, 34 residents of Kyrgyzstan were killed and more than 150 others were injured. The majority of casualties are civilians. During the clashes in the republic several dozen buildings were burned down or destroyed, including a school, a border outpost and a fire station. May 1-2 were declared national days of mourning in Kyrgyzstan. According to the Border Service, on May 2 the situation on the border stabilized and the sides began withdrawing forces and equipment to the places of permanent deployment.