From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Mon Aug 28 2000 - 10:42:50 EDT
POLICE, ISLAMIC MILITANTS CLASH IN EASTERN UZBEKISTAN
One police officer and eight "bandits" were killed in a shootout
on 25 August in Andijan Oblast, Reuters reported, citing
Uzbek State Television. It was not clear whether the gunmen
were members of the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan,
whose fighters have repeatedly engaged both Uzbek and Kyrgyz
government troops over the past month. On 27 August, General
Bolot Djanuzakov, who is secretary of the Kyrgyz Security
Council, told Interfax that those militants were engaged
primarily in reconnaissance activities. He said Kyrgyz forces
have sealed off their potential escape routes south into
Tajikistan. On 25 August, Defense and Security Ministry
spokesmen in Kazakhstan said special troops have been
deployed on the country's southern border with Uzbekistan and
additional border guard posts are being established. A
spokesman for the Russian Border Guards in Tajikistan said on
26 August that those troops thwarted eight attempts by gunmen
to cross from Afghanistan into southeastern Tajikistan during
the previous week. LF
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