The U.S. has allocated Kyrgyzstan $10.3 million assistance as ethnic violence continues in the Central Asian state, the U.S. embassy in Bishkek said on Wednesday.

"The U.S. Government has dedicated $10.3 million in funding for assistance to help the Kyrgyz people cope with the current tragic situation," a statement said.

"This assistance includes urgently needed medical supplies, small community assistance projects, food and agricultural assistance and support for the upcoming elections," it went on.

The U.S. will announce additional assistance in the near future, the statement added.

At least 179 people have been killed in clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek groups in southern Kyrgyzstan. The unrest, which has also left some 1,800 people injured, started in the city of Osh on June 11 and then spread to the neighboring Jalalabad region.

More than 80,000 ethnic Uzbeks have reportedly fled from Kyrgyzstan to neighboring Uzbekistan amid clashes, which have been described by some Kyrgyz rights activists as "genocide." Uzbeks make up about half the population in the turbulent area.

MOSCOW, June 16 (RIA Novosti)