| Militants seized hostages and barricaded themselves in a house yesterday after a grenade blast in Uzbekistan's capital led to a clash with authorities. Russian television said three people were wounded in the latest terrorist-related violence in the Central Asian nation. A grenade booby trap detonated when a police patrol tried to enter the gate of the house in Tashkent, leading to a siege in which the militants took hostages. Police said about 20 captors were holding "many" hostages. Special police forces surrounded the area but said they were afraid to launch an attack because of the hostages. Authorities were negotiating with the hostage-takers. Television reported three people were wounded earlier in the blast in the Sabir-Rakhimovski district of Tashkent, near the Chorsu bazaar where suicide bombers struck on Monday. The grenade blast and hostage-taking came a day after fighting that left 23 people dead, including three police officers. |