From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Jun 14 2001 - 15:03:22 EDT
TAJIK FIELD COMMANDER TAKES POLICE OFFICERS HOSTAGE
Senior members of the Tajik opposition were engaged on 12 June in negotiations
with former Tajik field commander Rakhmon Sanginov in an attempt to
persuade him to release seven police officers whom he had taken hostage
in eastern Dushanbe the previous day, ITAR-TASS reported. Sanginov told
RFE/RL's Tajik Service on 12 June that he took the police officers
hostage in order to secure the release of an unspecified number of his
followers who were detained last week. He released three hostages on 12
June but still holds four. Earlier on 12 June, Interior Minister Khumdin
Sharipov announced the release of all the hostages and termed the
incident "a misunderstanding." Sanginov is one of several former
opposition field commanders who refused to disarm following the signing
of the 1997 peace agreement. LF
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