Reports of casualties as guards clash at Kyrgyz-Tajik border | Border Disputes News | Al Jazeera

Casualties have been reported after Kyrgyz and Tajik border guards exchanged fire amid a standoff over a blocked road, in the latest clash between the former Soviet neighbours following a similar violent incident last year that killed dozens.

The Batken provincial government in Kyrgyzstan said four servicemen have been wounded following the clash on Thursday, according to local news website 24.kg.

Tajikistan said there were casualties among its civilians and border guards, but provided no figures. A Tajik security source said one person was killed and eleven wounded.

The border between the two countries, both of which host Russian military bases and are closely allied with Moscow, is poorly demarcated.

The Secretary General of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), Stanislav Zas, called for an immediate ceasefire at the border, RIA news agency reported.