Security chiefs of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan hold talks to end border fighting

The security chiefs of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan sat down for talks Saturday to stop fighting on the border between the two countries that so far has killed at least 24 people and wounded over 100.

The Kyrgyz border service announced the new round of talks as the two ex-Soviet nations traded blame for shelling that resumed Saturday morning after what appeared to be a brief respite overnight.

The fighting, which started Wednesday for no obvious or publicly announced reason, intensified on Friday. Kyrgyzstan's Health Ministry said early Saturday that the bodies of 24 people killed in the clashes were delivered to hospitals in the Batken region that borders Tajikistan.

Kyrgyz hospitals and clinics also treated 103 people wounded in the shelling, the ministry said. It wasn't immediately clear whether there were any casualties on Tajikistan's side.

Tajik authorities, however, accused Kyrgyz forces of destroying a mosque and targeting civilian infrastructure, including residential ...