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into view . This was the border and what I hoped would be the first signs of recovery .
Unlike the Tajik side of the boundary , the Kyrgyz equivalent felt modern and important . The buildings projected a force , men in military uniforms looked on from high towers and semi-hidden posts . I ’ d been to Kyrgyzstan a few times before and never witnessed anything like this , it seemed a little excessive . It goes to continued clashes along the border between the Tajik ’ s and Kyrgyz something that came to a head just two years prior .
The Batken region , on the fringe of the Fergana Valley within Kyrgyzstan , had come under fire from Tajik forces . Despite the presence of tanks and other military hardware the conflict hadn ’ t escalated into all out war yet was a warning that tension was high , something that had been
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