Kyrgyzstan reported that the total death toll in the border conflict with Tajikistan rose to 36, while 129 were injured.

Forces from the two former Soviet republics clashed over a border dispute from September 14 to 16, accusing each other of using tanks, mortars, artillery and combat drones to attack border military posts and nearby residential areas, killing at least 54 people.

Border problems in Central Asia date back in large part to the Soviet period, when Moscow tried to divide the region between groups whose residential areas were often nestled among other ethnic territories.

The Kyrgyz Health Ministry said it had evacuated about 137,000 people from the conflict zone.

Tajikistan has not released any official casualty figures, but security sources said 30 people were killed last week.

Both sides agreed to a ceasefire on September 16, and the agreement has been largely respected ever since, despite what has been said about a number of explosions following it.