At Least 42 Killed As Tajikistan Army Clashes With Armed Group

[News_Editor]

At least 42 killed as Tajikistan army clashes with armed group < br />

2012-07-26 02:32:13 GMT+7 (ICT)

KHORUGH, TAJIKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- Government troops in eastern Tajikistan launched an operation Tuesday against an armed group led by a former warlord, triggering fierce clashes which have left more than 40 people killed. It comes days after members of the group allegedly killed a top security official.

The operation took place in Khorugh, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region, and targeted members of a criminal group led by Tolib Aiyembekov. He is a former warlord who previously held a government post as part of a peace plan that ended the country's civil war in 1997.

Tajik authorities have blamed members of the armed group of killing National Security Committee regional office chief Major General Abdullo Nazarov. He was killed in Khorugh on late Saturday afternoon when unidentified men stopped his vehicle, pulled him out and stabbed him several times.

A government statement said officials held several meetings with Aiyembekov in recent days to demand the group lays down its arms and hands over the members who allegedly killed Nazarov. But the former warlord rejected the government's proposals and instead began to mobilize for an armed confrontation, the statement added.

As a result, Tajik government troops launched an operation on Tuesday to restore order in the city and to arrest members of the criminal group, which has previously been accused of drug trafficking, smuggling tobacco products, and other crimes. Fierce clashes broke out when government troops entered the area.

According to official figures, the operation resulted in the deaths of 42 people, of whom 30 were members of the criminal group and 12 were security forces. At least 23 security forces were also wounded, but there were no confirmed reports of civilian casualties. Government forces also arrested 40 people accused of being members of the group, including eight Afghan nationals.

On Wednesday, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon and Afghan President Hamid Karzai spoke by telephone to discuss the events in Khorugh, which is located directly on the Tajik-Afghan border. The two leaders agreed both countries will work together to prevent any 'terrorist or illegal acts' in the region.

"Afghan President Hamid Karzai stated that on his orders additional military and border troops will be sent to the border area, particularly the region of Khorugh, in order to ensure the above-mentioned goals," a statement from Rahmon's office said. "The Heads of both countries underlined that between the leadership of Afghanistan and Tajikistan and the relevant structures of the two countries there will be a permanent and effective contact until the final solution of this issue."

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2012-07-26

[GentlemanJim]

Well this is what tends to happen, normally quite quickly, when armed groups try to do ill to the Government and the Army.

As a result, Tajik government troops launched an operation on Tuesday to restore order in the city and to arrest members of the criminal group,

I doubt the Tajik Government will have to go through what the Thai Government went through/still going through.