Donning white armbands torn from old bed sheets, roughly a dozen men were signing up for the units outside the National Security Service (SNB) headquarters in central Bishkek on the afternoon of April 8.
The upheaval gripping Kyrgyzstan is disrupting the flow of troops and materials bound for Afghanistan. A Defense Department announcement stated that the American-operated Manas Transit Center, located outside the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek, will remain closed to US military and contractor air traffic from April 8-12.
Some observers are drawing strong parallels with the current instability in Kyrgyzstan and the "Tulip Revolution" of March 2005. While there are definitely some similarities, there are also some substantial differences.
With marauding bands continuing to rule the night in Bishkek, and Kurmanbek Bakiyev making mischief in his southern stronghold, Kyrgyzstan's new leaders are facing the prospect of a prolonged period of strife in the Central Asian state. Some experts say they are worried that continuing disorder in the country could exacerbate long-simmering regional tension.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has declared a state of emergency in Kyrgyzstan following an April 7 clash between police and protesters outside the government headquarters in Bishkek that left four dead.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has declared a state of emergency in Kyrgyzstan following an April 7 clash between police and protesters outside the government headquarters in Bishkek that left four dead.
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has declared a state of emergency in Kyrgyzstan following an April 7 clash between police and protesters outside the government headquarters in Bishkek that left four dead.
The tumult that engulfed Kyrgyzstan on April 6-7 represents a failure for US foreign policy. In particular, it illustrates the hazards of allowing security concerns to dictate diplomacy at the expense of democratization.
At about 8:10 pm, central Bishkek was rocked by thundering explosions. Shortly before the blasts began, witnesses saw a tank taking aim at the Executive Office Building, known locally as the White House.
Kyrgyzstan, a Central Asian state that experienced the Tulip Revolution in 2005, is once again going through a bout of political instability, one with uncertain ramifications for President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's administration.
