Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Kyrgyz Rioting Spreads VOA News 13 June 2010 Photo: AP Members of ethnic Uzbek community armed with sticks and and hunting rifles to protect their lives and property guard an road to a Uzbek residence near Osh, southern Kyrgyzstan, on Saturday, June 12, 2010 The Kyrgyz government said Sunday it is sending reserve forces to the country's troubled south, as a third night of gun battles brought the death toll to 80 and left more than 1,000 wounded. Kyrgyzstan's interim government gave shoot-to-kill powers to its security forces after deadly riots erupted between ethnic Uzbeks and Kyrgyz in the southern cities of Osh and Jalalabad. Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic, appealed to Russia Saturday to send troops to help quash the ethnic riots. Instead, Russia sent humanitarian assistance. Reuters news agency says Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is "following the situation closely" and will discuss the matter Monday with a Moscow-led security bloc of former Soviet republics known as the Collective Security Treaty Organization.  In a letter to Mr. Medvedev, interim Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva said the situation in southern Kyrgyzstan is out of control and Bishkek needs outside help. The riots are the worst violence since former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in a bloody uprising in April and fled the country. The city of Osh was a stronghold of the former president.  The violence forced thousands of ethnic Uzbeks to flee as their homes were torched by armed gangs of Kyrgyz men. The Foreign Ministry in neighboring Uzbekistan expressed serious concern about the situation. Ms. Otunbayeva has blamed the situation on outside elements. She accused groups, which she did not identify, of seeking to disrupt the constitutional referendum scheduled for later this month on reducing presidential powers.  Russia and China have called for a quick end to the unrest, which has raised concerns about the stability of a country that hosts U.S. and Russian military bases. The United States on Saturday called for a rapid restoration of peace and public order in southern Kyrgyzstan and said it supports U.N. and European efforts to help bring an end to deadly ethnic clashes there. .