Officials from the Kyrgyz border guard have accused Tajik forces of opening fire on several of its outposts in an escalation of tension two days after a brief confrontation between the two Central Asian nations, writes Al Jazeera.

The border guard said Kyrgyz forces were returning fire on Friday morning, as clashes took place along the length of the border, adding that Tajik forces were using tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and mortars. More than one-third of the 1,000km frontier remains disputed.

In turn, Tajikistan accused Kyrgyz forces of shelling one of its outposts and seven villages with “heavy weaponry”. A civilian was killed and three injured, authorities in the Tajik city of Isfara said.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon are both attending a regional security summit in Uzbekistan and appeared, together with a number of other leaders.