By Reuters Staff
3 Min Read
BISHKEK (Reuters) -At least four civilians were reported killed and dozens of other people wounded when Kyrgyz and Tajik security forces exchanged fire across the border on Thursday and residents hurled rocks at each other in a clash over a water reservoir.
The frontier, dating to the Soviet era, is poorly demarcated and minor border disputes between are frequent. The latest quarrel quickly escalated beyond the usual scale as border guards on both sides actively joined the fighting.
However, the two countries’ foreign ministries said late on Thursday they had agreed a ceasefire after hours of talks and would stick to it and pull back troops while resolving the conflict through diplomacy.