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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Uzbek troops retake Korasuv |
| 2005-05-19 |
| Uzbek troops are reported to have retaken the border town of Korasuv, where locals threw out their leaders last week in a popular protest. A number of explosions and some gunfire was heard, but the takeover seems to have been largely peaceful with no reports of loss of life. The uprising's leader, Bakhtiyor Rakhimov, who said he intended to build an Islamic state, has been arrested. The uprising in Korasuv followed a bloody crackdown in nearby Andijan. Hundreds of government forces are said to have arrived in Korasuv overnight. The residents of Karasov - which has a population of about 20,000 - drove out police and officials last Saturday, and were reportedly in control of the town until troops took it back on Wednesday night. Mr Rakhimov told the BBC's Ian MacWilliam on Wednesday that the people in the region had put up with President Islam Karimov for 16 years, and could no longer tolerate him. Residents said the main cause of resentment was the lack of work combined with the regime's tough curbs on private trade. He said that the townspeople wanted to establish an Islamic administration in the area, but he did not elaborate on the aspiration, or whether the town had any connections to the wider Islamic separatist movement thought to operate in the area. |
| Posted by:Paul Moloney |