Kyrgyzstan: State Could Not Defend Itself Due to Corruption — Tashiev on 2021 Border Clash

During a January 16 meeting, Kamchybek Tashiev, head of the State Committee for National Security, claimed that corruption levels in Kyrgyzstan had reached 70-80% before Sadyr Japarov took office, Orda reports, citing Kloop.

Tashiev pointed to the armed conflict along the Kyrgyz-Tajik border in the spring of 2021, where military readiness was severely compromised.

We had nothing, not a single combat vehicle started up and did not come out to defend our motherland. Our soldiers of the Ministry of Defense and, mostly, the Border Guards went out only with machine guns and pistols produced 40-50 years ago. We didn't even have body armor, so we had heavy losses, he said.

In a striking revelation, Tashiev noted that the military had to resort to using a single armored civilian vehicle, which crime boss Yerkin Mambetaliev had previously donated.

Practically, the state has not even been able to ensure its national security, let alone other industries. We had to work in such conditions. Thanks to the active position of our President and the well-coordinated work of his team, we have reached today,he said.

Tashiev claims the situation has dramatically improved, with Kyrgyz armed forces now ranking among "the most combat-ready in Central Asia."

He reports that the military now possesses hundreds of armored vehicles from the UAE and Russia and advanced drone technology, including Bayraktar and Aksungur models.

Disputed territory and water resources in the Batken region have been the source of armed clashes between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. 

On December 4, 2024, the Government delegations of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan met to discuss the delimitation and demarcation of the Kyrgyz-Tajik state border. They had finalized their border delineation at the time.