24 killed, scores wounded in clashes on Kyrgyz-Tajik border

MOSCOW (AP) — Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have traded blame for fighting on the border that killed at least 24 people, wounded dozens and prompted a mass evacuation. Kyrgyzstan’s Health Ministry said early Saturday that 24 bodies have been delivered to hospitals in the Batken region that borders Tajikistan. An additional 87 people have been wounded. Clashes on the border that began earlier this week grew into large-scale fighting Friday involving tanks, artillery and rocket launchers. Kyrgyzstan’s Emergencies Ministry says 136,000 people have been evacuated from the area engulfed by the fighting. Border guard chiefs of the two countries met around midnight and agreed to create a joint monitoring group work to help end hostilities. It isn’t immediately clear whether the meeting helped halt clashes.