A tense calm was felt in the streets of Osh Tuesday as Kyrgyzstan's interim government sent more security forces to the area to quell violent ethnic clashes. But even though Tuesday had been one of the calmest days since fighting began, the Central Asian nation's news agency AKI Press reported that death toll had risen to 170. An estimated 80,000 ethnic Uzbeks have fled the ongoing clashes with ethnic Kyrgyz, streaming into camps in neighboring Uzbekistan, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Tuesday Uzbekistan closed its border with Kyrgyzstan indefinitely, according to Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry quoted by CNN. Officials did not say why they closed the border but the move comes after a massive flow of people fleeing the clashes have overwhelmed refugee camps in Uzbekistan. More than 1,400 people had been wounded in the clashes that started late last week, AKI Press reported Sunday. Also 15 police officers had been killed, according to a police official.
