Comments on: New Attack(s?) in Khanabad, Uzbekistan closes the Kyrgyz border; Suicide bombing reported in Andijon [Updated]

By: Nick

Nick — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:49:04 +0000

The border attack was probably a bunch of local Kyrgyz villagers who are tired of being harassed and shot at every day by Uzbek border guards who use the failure to demarcate a clear border as an excuse for extracting bribes. In the weeks before the attack Uzbek border and “anti-terror” police searched local Kyrgyz houses and shot at a car full of Kyrgyz border crossers.

By: noah tucker

noah tucker — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:20:19 +0000

From Nathan’s second link:

“Russian media outlets have indicated the Khanabad attack was the handiwork of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan…”

I generally resist commenting on the situation because of things exactly like this–apparently completely unfounded assumptions that become closer and closer to reports of “facts” the more times they get copied and pasted (and translated). So, did the guys have “IMU” painted on the side of the car?

It reminds me, ironicially, testimony in a former Soviet country a couple of years ago when the government called a witness who claimed that a car with “US Embassy markings on it” drove up and handed people “a bag of money” that apprently must have also had “$” on the outside (just like in cartoons) and the amount of money in it written on the side.

By: Matt

Matt — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:27:09 +0000

I agree with Nathan. I’d like to know the names of these “experts” who “see a potential link between the Khanabad firefight and the anti-Taliban offensive being carried out in Pakistan.”

By: Nathan

Nathan — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:09:17 +0000

Eurasianet has a couple interesting stories here and here. I'm skeptical that the link between Swat and Khanabad exists, for what it's worth.

By: Vadim

Vadim — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:17:15 +0000

The story is pretty much in a full swing on the Internet. The U.S. media still ignores the incident and among all Western media outlets (and not much of those) that reported on it, BBC seems like the most popular one on Twitter and social media.
Closing borders with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan happens almost every months even without any apparent reason. No surprise that this incident calls for, well, closing the borders. Uzbek govt also turned off mobile phones connections in Andijan and in some other regions of Ferghana Valley.

By: Christian

Christian — Tue, 26 May 2009 22:15:10 +0000

RE: Why the Uzbek government would block the News.ru story: In my (admittedly limited) experience, internet censorship isn’t usually carried out with precision and reason. They’ll block whatever they’re aware of and what they want to in their panic to control information, even if it doesn’t make sense.

By: noah tucker

noah tucker — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:50:11 +0000

I take that back–I checked, and AFP’s Almaty bureau has picked up the story of the suicide bomber so it’s in the French press. It lists the official press release as its source, though.

By: noah tucker

noah tucker — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:47:07 +0000

The story is evolving: Ferghana.ru has a brand new story up on the Russian side (not in English this time) with either a fuller report of the Uzbek prosecutor’s office press release or a new release, I can’t tell which–but the major news is that according to the Uzbek government there was also a suicide bombing in Andijon today aroudn 1:45 p.m. local time, killing a policeman and injuring some civillians.

http://www.ferghana.ru/news.php?id=12045&mode=snews

The new story also confirms that there were injuries in the attack last night, which according to the Uzbek government was against a police outpost at the entrance of Khanabad city. This may or may not be the “customs post” that the Kyrgyz sources were talking about this morning.

“«В ночь с 25 на 26 мая с.г. группой из 2-3-х бандитов осуществлено вооруженное нападение с использованием взрывного устройства на блок-пост милиции при въезде в город Ханабад Андижанской области.

В ходе завязавшейся перестрелки получили ранения один сотрудник милиции и один из нападавших бандитов.

Вследствие полученного отпора под покровом ночи бандитам удалось скрыться.

В 13.45-14.00 26 мая с.г. на улице Фитрата г.Андижана неизвестным мужчиной произведен самоподрыв, в результате которого один сотрудник милиции погиб и несколько граждан получили ранения.

По предварительным данным, группа бандитов проникла на территорию Андижанской области из соседнего Кыргызстана.”

This also includes then (for those who don’t read Russian) the first official indication that I’ve seen of that theory Michael mentions above that the attackers came across the border from Kyrgyzstan.

I checked up on the version of the story at News.ru that Ferghana.ru says is being actively blocked by the Uzbek government’s “internet patrol,” and the only difference I can see between the stories was this indication that the attack was against a customs post, rather than a police station. Maybe there’s something else that I didn’t see, it doesn’t seem like enough to warrant blocking the story, but it could be a significant difference.

I haven’t seen any other confirmation of the story of the suicide bomber in Andijon.

By: Nathan

Nathan — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:44:27 +0000

This story says that a Kyrgyz official told RIA Novosti that the Kyrgyz have closed the border and that from the Kyrgyz side of the border "traces of blood can be seen on the territory of the neighboring state."

By: Nathan

Nathan — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:27:22 +0000

Thanks for posting this Noah. I woke up this morning to find emails asking why I hadn’t posted anything on it yet.