The attack of Islamic radicals that has been rumored since the beginning of the year finally happened. Of course, it is not a large scale campaign but is still sufficiently annoying to the government. According to the Uzbek media, since early August law enforcement agencies began to receive information that terrorist groups were infiltrating into border areas of Surkhandarya Province from Tajikistan’s territory and tried to entrench in the mountains of Sariasya and Uzun regions.

As soon as the government forces began their operations against those groups, it became clear that the latter were trained and armed well enough to gain an easy victory over them. Indeed, on August 9 they shot down the Uzbek Air Force aircraft, and by August 17 government forces counted seven people dead, of whom junior in rank was sergeant-major and senior -- lieutenant. Almost simultaneously with these events a group of 40 to 50 militants attacked a check-point in Kubarqa settlement which is in Lailak area of Batken Province in Kyrgyzstan. Casualties were on both sides. Neither in Uzbekistan nor in Kyrgyzstan press was allowed in the areas of fighting. Batken town was venue for the meeting between secretaries of Security Councils and heads of power structures of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and in Khujand the joint staff for militant repulse was established.

As early as August 17 Uzbek mass media rushed to announce the completion of military operation against the militants that was to be followed by total passport control for the residents of the mountain areas of Sariasya and Uzun regions in Surkhandarya Province. However, a day before, on August 16, a group of 50 militants resumed their attacks in Lailak area of Batken Province. But according to the official information, they were thrown back and lost about 40 people.

Finally, on August 21 near Burchmulla village located 100 km away from Tashkent on the bank of Charvak water reservoir which is the main source of potable water for the capital, fighting occurred between government forces and a group of militants who got there in some enigmatic way. Military garrison in Burchmulla has been there for quite a long time -- since spring of this year when rumors about the militant assault being prepared began to spread. Besides the fact that the militants numbered 18 and came from Tajikistan’s territory, there is no information that would be more detailed. At the same time, a representative of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) Zubai Abdurakhim declared to the "Ozodlik" Radio reporter in Tashkent that it was his organizations that was responsible for the collision in Burchmulla, and he also expressed confidence in further continuation of such actions. A little later two Russian frontier guards -- lieutenant Sergei Volkov and private Zafar Ashurov were killed during fights with the militants attempting to cross Tajik-Afghan border.

Another event reported by television occurred on August 22 in Paitok town of Izboskan area in Andijan Province. As the report has it, a group of suspiciously looking people was spotted in one of the town’s houses located in a thickly inhabited district. Besides those people there were also a woman and two children in the house. The report says nothing of reasons that triggered the operation against the "bandits", but as the result of it all of them were exterminated. In the course of the operation, colonel who was deputy head of the Province Department of Interior was killed and three militiamen were wounded.

All these facts prove that this August turned out very tough for the whole Central Asia and for Uzbekistan in particular. Even a cursory overview of events shows that the tactics of militants and their strategists has somewhat changed in comparison with the last year. For instance, whereas the last year’s August action against the staff of glaciological station at the Abramov Glacier in Batken area in Kyrgyzstan was just senseless and brutal, their current actions appear more systematic and well considered. Noteworthy is the multitude of points where the militants undertook their actions. Moreover, one of such points was in near vicinity to the capital city. It is clear that contrary to the allegations of some media, the militants did not and could not pursue to take Uzbekistan or any of its provinces. Then what are their real intentions?

First of all, the timing for the militants’ actions was not incidental, for the 1st of September is the main national holiday in Uzbekistan -- the Independence Day. Every year in Tashkent grandiose preparations take place and the authorities try to turn the holiday into one of the key political and ideological actions of the year. Therefore, it has been quite clever to target exactly this event. Tashkent this year has seen unprecedented security measures. The entire downtown area was barricaded with trucks and buses, and there were more police in the streets than ever.

It should be remembered that the President Islam Karimov has always referred to stability and peace in Uzbekistan as his principal achievement. Those two served the main argument in attracting foreign investments and also reconciled people with drastic government actions against its political opponents inside the country, lack of free press and slack economic reforms. Apparently, the August actions of the militants targeted to discredit these particular achievements of the regime. It was a simple reckoning: if fear and insecurity is planted in people’s souls, nothing will be left of these achievements. In this case the ideological foundation built by the Uzbek authorities will be undermined and gradually ousted by a different ideology carried by radical islamists.

It is premature to say that these targets have been achieved. However, the atmosphere in the region gradually becomes rather uptight. This can be proved by the following fact communicated through Kazakh commercial television. In early August media reported that armed militants attacked frontier outpost on Kyrgyz-Tajik border. Though later on it turned out that one of the soldiers slipped into a ravine and started to fire his rifle to call for help. His comrades assessed the shooting as a signal for the militants’ attack and began, in their turn, to call for help. If the armed government soldiers are so nervous, there is no need to say how defenseless population may feel.

In the late August Tashkent was filled with rumors of terrorist attacks being prepared. People advised their relatives, acquaintances and friends against visiting public places. Strictly measured out information transmitted by government mass media provided rich soil for the dissemination of such rumors. During his interview to the media before the Independence Day Islam Karimov tried to calm people, however he did not sound very convincing and looked weary.