Kyrgyzstan sees actions of Tajikistan as military aggression - General Prosecutor's Office

AKIPRESS.COM - The actions of Tajikistan in the recent border conflict are seen as military aggression, the General Prosecutor's Office of Kyrgyzstan in a statement released in the evening of May 3. "On April29, starting since 4.40 a.m. militants and regular troops of Tajikistan treacherously attacked the borders of the Kyrgyz Republic with use of automatic weapon, mortars, attack helicopters, heavy armored machinery, artillery and other armament against civilian population of Kyrgyzstan in violation of the charter of Universal Human Rights Declaration of 1976, agreement on establishment of the Commonwealth of Independent States of 1991, Alma-Ata Declaration of 1991, Moscow Declaration on Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity and Inviolability of Borders of the CIS countries of 1994, agreement on fundamentals of interstate relations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan of 1996.
Use of offensive heavy armament far from places of its permanent stationing speaks of that this intrusion was planned beforehand and was planned and organized with the purpose of seizure of sovereign territory of Kyrgyzstan. Regular troops, armed mercenaries and other groups of militants participated in the combat actions provoked by the Tajik side.
These armed groups deliberately attacked unarmed civilian population of Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz side evacuated civilian population from some villages of Leilek and Batken districts in the result. Servicemen and militants of Tajikistan then started massive looting of property of Kyrgyz villagers, stole cattle, vehicles. To disguise their crimes, they set houses and other looted facilities on fire. Enormous damage was caused for citizens and the state in the result.
24 civilians died in the first hours of armed attack by Tajikistan with use of mortars and other armament on Golovnoi water distribution facility in Batken region.
Armed forces of Kyrgyzstan undertook actions to rebuff military attack to prevent capture of the territory of the country and murder of civilian population.
The launched criminal investigations into above facts found 36 citizens of Kyrgyzstan were killed, 3 servicemen among them, the rest are civilians, including two children, over 180 Kyrgyzstanis were wounded. Most of them are in critical condition. Over 33,000 were displaced.
More than 170 houses, medical facilities and educational facilities, infrastructure, properies of citizens of Kyrgyzstan were destroyed as a result of military aggression by Tajikistan.
Numerous cartridges from automatic, large-caliber weapons, land mines and mines, unexploded shells and air missiles, trenches and other fortifications erected by the armed forces of Tajikistan were found in border villages of Kyrgyzstan.
The military personnel of Tajikistan and numerous groups of militants purposefully used high-explosive fragmentation and missile weapons against civilians and civilian objects, as well as ambulances transporting the wounded, which speaks of the cruel aggression and violation of humanitarian and international norms by Tajikistan despite the unilateral and multilateral international agreements, Geneva Conventions.
Servicemen of Kyrgyzstan used firearms exclusively for the purpose of self-defense and protection of civilian population, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kyrgyz Republic. At the same time, the armed forces and civilians of the Kyrgyz Republic did not attack settlements and other objects on the territory of Tajikistan.
The General Prosecutor's Office launched criminal probe into the above facts on April 29. The investigation is underway. "