Thursday, 6 August 2009
A counterterrorism operation in eastern Tajikistan has killed 11 Islamic militants, a Tajik Interior Ministry spokesman said on 5 August.
"Eleven people were killed during the operation, five of them were Russian nationals," Makhmadullo Asadullayev said, adding that thirty people had also been arrested, including six Russian mercenaries.
The militants were part of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan group seeking to establish an Islamic state in the Fergana Valley, a region stretching through the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, RIA Novosti reports.
"A huge arms cache was seized during the operation, including 50 machine guns, 10 grenade launchers, over 5,000 cartridges, and communication devices", the spokesman said.
The government forces involved in the operation were withdrawn from eastern Tajikistan on Wednesday after the operation was completed. They returned to their bases in the capital Dushanbe, he added.
