Protests and prisoners. Bloodshed and hostages. Uzbekistan teeters on the edge of a precipice and, of course, radical Islamists are involved.
Police opened fire on thousands of protesters in the central Asian state of Uzbekistan yesterday, after an armed mob stormed a jail to free 23 men accused of Islamist extremism.
At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured in the fighting in the eastern town of Andijan. Fifteen police officers were held hostage by rioters.
Demonstrators in the central square demanded the resignation of the authoritarian president, Islam Karimov. Some protesters had taken over the local administration building and were flanked by men armed with machine guns.
Yesterday afternoon, witnesses reported that a truck of soldiers drove into the crowd three times, firing into it or into the air. “I was lying down, but the guy next to me was dead,” said one witness. He said he had seen five people injured in the shooting.
The government claimed that protesters had opened fire on troops. It insisted it was in control of the town and had retaken the administration building in bitter fighting with armed protesters.
A government source told Reuters last night: “The square has been cleared. Protesters have left. The building has been freed from those who seized it. The search for weapons is under way.”
The witness said he and other protesters were fleeing the town. “It’s too dangerous here,” he said. The last gunfire had been at 7pm local time on a main road near the centre.
Protesters reportedly used a police hostage as a “human shield” when engaging troops. The authorities said in a televised statement: “The militants are sheltering behind women, children and hostages. They will not compromise with the authorities.”
Some reports said that 50 people had died in clashes with the police. Mr Karimov’s press service said he had rushed to the scene to negotiate. Officials said he had later returned to the capital, Tashkent.
The unrest threatened to spark wider popular revolt in Uzbekistan, an impoverished state of 26 million people. It borders Kyrgyzstan, where violent protests in March ousted the country’s authoritarian government. Uzbekistan, the most brutal dictatorship in the former Soviet Union, has cracked down on dissent since three protest-led regime changes swept through the region in the last 19 months.
Yes, this is one former Soviet republic that has played a very important role in the war against Islamist terror, particularly in the Afghanistan theater.
Uzbekistan has been a US ally in the war on terror since 2001, and hosts a vital airbase in the south. Critics say this has caused Washington to turn a blind eye to its torture record. The US last night called on the government and protesters to show restraint.
“We are concerned about the outbreak of violence, particularly by some members of a terrorist organisation that were freed from prison,” White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Much more information and analysis can be found at Captain’s Quarters, Publius Pundit and especially Registan, a blog I was previously unfamiliar with that is all over the story with several posts and updates, starting here.