Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan trade blame for cross-border shelling

MOSCOW (AP) — Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have traded blame for cross-border shelling and clashes that killed at least four and injured dozens in a conflict over water supply. It was the latest outburst of tensions between the two ex-Soviet Central Asian neighbors. Troops from the two countries exchanged gunfire for most of the day around a water supply facility in western Kyrgyzstan on the border with Tajikistan. More than 800 Kyrgyz residents were evacuated from several villages. Later Thursday, officials from the two countries declared a cease-fire and agreed to pull back troops. A large part of the Tajik-Kyrgyz border has remained unmarked, fueling sporadic disputes over water, land and pastures that have sometimes shifted into violent clashes.