Kyrgyzstan committed to making Uzbekistan pay for damage caused by 1999 bombing


Kyrgyz news agency Kabar
December 3

The government of Kyrgyzstan has committed itself to resolving the issue of compensation from the Republic of Uzbekistan for the material damage inflicted as a result of the bombing of Kara-Teyit village in Osh Region of Kyrgyzstan by Uzbek aircraft in 1999 during the "Batken events" [when fighters invaded Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan]. The Legislative Assembly (lower house) of Kyrgyzstan's parliament took this decision in summing up the results of the work of the deputy's commission to uncover the reasons for the tragedy.

In addition, a Legislative Assembly resolution instructs the government to define the precise sum of damage, to pay compensation to the casualties of the bombing and lump sums to the relatives of the dead. The commission has established that the two SU-24 aircraft, which dealt 11 air strikes on the Kyrgyz settlement on 29 August 1999, belong to Uzbekistan's air forces. According to the chairman of the commission, a Legislative Assembly deputy, Ismail Isakov, as a result of the bombing three civilians were killed, 28 people were wounded, about 20 houses were fully demolished and more than 100 houses needed repairs.

The commission assesses the material damage to the population at more than 10m soms [approximately 208,000 dollars]. The investigation into the bombing was suspended in March 2001 for lack of information on precisely what side owned the aircraft. However, after parliament touched on the issue and presented the information available, Deputy Prosecutor-General Kurmantay Abdiyev gave assurances to the law-makers that the investigation would resume. Isakov told a Kabar correspondent that he intended to take control of further developments of the events relating to the investigation. So far the Uzbek side has failed to respond to the note from the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry which was sent to Uzbekistan in September 1999.