From: Abraham Rein (ARein@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri Aug 11 2000 - 13:44:52 EDT
UZBEK ISLAMISTS ENTER KYRGYZSTAN... Kyrgyz presidential
spokesman Osmonakun Ibraimov told journalists in Bishkek on
11 August that two Kyrgyz servicemen were injured in fighting
earlier that day between Kyrgyz government troops and a group
of 30-40 fighters who had entered Kyrgyzstan's southern
Batken Oblast from Tajikistan en route to Uzbekistan, Reuters
reported. Ibraimov said the fighters are believed to belong
to the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a group of
whose forces clashed with Uzbek troops earlier this week (see
"RFE/RL Newsline," 8, 9, and 10 August 2000). Also on 11
August, ITAR-TASS quoted an unnamed Uzbek official as saying
that Uzbek forces destroyed "the main group" of those
fighters in a surprise raid early on 10 August. On that same
day, the first deputy chief of the Russian Army General
Staff, Colonel-General Valerii Manilov, said that Moscow will
provide assistance if asked to help Uzbekistan defeat the
Islamists, Interfax reported. LF
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