Are Turkish drones complicating disputes in Central Asia?
Kyrgyzstan’s use of Turkish drones in a border dispute with Tajikistan leaves Turkey in a tight spot on how to balance its ties in Central Asia, a region where it has long sought to expand its influence.
Turkey’s efforts to add strategic depth to its ties with Central Asia appear to have hit a stumbling block, albeit not a big one, amid controversy over Kyrgyzstan’s use of Turkish combat drones in border clashes with Tajikistan.
The Bayraktar TB2 drones that Kyrgyzstan acquired last year are seen as a game-changer in ongoing clashes with Tajikistan over disputed border areas, which have claimed nearly 100 lives since mid-September.
Social media abounds with claims about Kyrgyz use of the Turkish drones, accompanied by purported images of destroyed Tajik military equipment. The drones hit a Tajik T-72 tank, Qirim News reported, while others claimed the drones helped Kyrgyzstan retake five villages. Turkish Twitterati were quick to boast that the Turkish drones were now “making history” in Kyrgyzstan as they did in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to Tajik media, Kyrgyz forces used heavy weaponry, including helicopters and Bayraktar drones, to pound settlements, schools and mosques. Tajikistan puts its death toll at 41. The Kyrgyz, for their part, say 59 people were killed and 139 others injured, with 613 homes damaged.
