Kyrgyz Interior Ministry internal troops give their account of events on first days of border conflict

AKIPRESS.COM - The internal troops of the Interior Ministry of Kyrgyzstan released a report on the tasks performed by soldiers on the first days of the conflict on the border with Tajikistan.
The report contains the details of the events from the conflict zone.
"On April 28, the conflict occurred between citizens of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan at the Golovnoi water distribution facility in Kok-Tash village of Batken district. The conflict eventually evolved into armed clashes between servicemen of two countries. The cause of the conflict was installation of a CCTV camera by the Tajik side on the pole of the power transmission line. Following the talks between representatives of law enforcement and defense agencies, local authorities of two countries the coflict was regulated.
On April 29, at around 1.30 p.m. Kyrgyz citizens came to the Golovnoi water distributor and demanded to dismantle the installed CCTV camera. Gathered Tajik citizens refused to remove the camera and opened fire from several hunting rifles. People walking in front rows fell on the ground because of fired shots, the rest began to run away in different directions in panic.
At around 2.00 p.m. mortar shelling started from the Tajik side. The first shell fell on the territory of the water distribution facility. The area near the water distributor and its internal territory was shelled intensively then. People received shell fragment wounds as a result.
The water distribution facility was defended by the Sher special task force of internal troops of the Interior Ministry of Kyrgyzstan under command of Maj. Ibragim Akmatov.
The special task force personnel took wounded citizens away to the firing positions, provided first aid and returned fire at the same time. The firing positions of the Sher special task force then came under mortar shelling from the Tajik side. Due to the properly chosen location of firing positions, equipment, most of special task force personnel managed to avoid wounds from fragments of exploded shells. Only those servicemen who provided first aid to civilians received shell fragment wounds.
During shootout, the Sher task force personnel noticed several people in black uniform were moving in their direction firing shots from a building on the territory of Tajikistan. Their actions allowed to suggest they were not army troops.
Sher special task force personnel opened fire from sniper rifles and anti-tank rocket launcher RPG into the building and barred the group from approaching them. The Tajik group retreated. The building caught fire.
Besides, Tajik servicemen shot from concealed positions from small arms. Kyrgyz interior troops servicemen fired from grenade launchers into firing positions of troops of Tajikistan and forced them to retreat further to their territory, from where mortar shelling, fire from armored vehicles and other weapons continued.
At around 4.30 p.m. airborne armored infantry fighting vehicle arrived as ordered by interior troops commander Col. Islambek Kenjekulov, which supported Sher special personnel with machine gun firing. Then at around 6.30 p.m. Tajik servicemen retreated and shooting stopped.
The interal troops also performed duties in Min-Bulak, Kok-Tash, Kyzyl-Bel, Min-Oruk villages of Batken region.
Commander of internal troops of Interior Ministry of Kyrgyzstan Col. Islambek Kenjekulov remains in Batken region and coordinates actions of internal troops.
14 servicemen received wounds of different degree of severity. They were transported to medical facilities in Bishkek or Batken region. All of them will received all possible support as ordered by the Interior Minister."