Gunfire Reported in Uzbek Towns Along Kyrgyz Border

News reports from Uzbekistan say sporadic gunfire has continued in areas along the Kyrgyz border, following Friday's military crackdown against protesters in the city of Andijan.

The Associated Press quoted residents as saying several soldiers and civilians were killed when clashes erupted Sunday in two border villages, Teshiktosh and Karasu.

Earlier reports said as many as 500 people were killed when security forces fired into a crowd of demonstrators in Andijan on Friday.

But Uzbek President Islam Karimov said the death toll was much lower. He blamed the bloodshed on Islamic radicals trying to overthrow the government.

Several countries, including the United States, have called for restraint. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called the Andijan crackdown a clear abuse of human rights.

Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP.