Reports from Turkmenistan say a group of armed men killed six security personnel in two separate incidents yesterday Tuesdayclose to the border with Uzbekistan.

The Uzbek authorities say three officers were killed when the armed group clashed with police in the Khorezm region, which lies on the Turkmen border.

The gunmen then shot dead three Turkmen border officials as they tried to escape into Turkmenistan.

The presidents of the two countries have launched a joint investigation into the incident.