U.S. Says Terrorists May Be Planning Attacks in Uzbekistan Next Month

AP | August 24, 2004

[ohioconservative]

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department said Tuesday it has information that terrorists may be planning attacks in Uzbekistan in early September during the country's Independence Day celebrations.

The warning to Americans traveling or living in the Central Asian nation comes less than a month after triple suicide bombings at the U.S. and Israeli embassies and the general prosecutor's office in Tashkent.

Uzbek authorities in the predominantly Muslim nation blamed the July 30 attacks on al-Qaida-linked radical Islamic groups based outside the country. They said the same groups were responsible for a series of explosions and assaults on police in late March and early April in Tashkent and the central Bukhara region that claimed 47 lives.

Hundreds of U.S. troops are stationed in Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan and became a key U.S. ally after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"The embassy urges Americans in Uzbekistan to exercise extreme caution, including avoiding large crowds, celebrations and public places where Westerners generally congregate," the State Department said in its statement.

Uzbekistan gained independence from the former Soviet Union on Sept. 1, 1991.

AP-ES-08-24-04 2203EDT

[elcid1970]

I just returned from eight months deployment near Karshi, Uzbekistan. Believe me, the Uzbeks are pro-American, Western-leaning, and practice a tolerant form of Islam (Hannafi, Sufi). They boast of the long-extant Jewish and Christian communities in Samarkand and Tashkent. Don't worry about the Uzbeks. The bombings in March and August were the work of Arabic-speaking foreigners. Uzbekistan is on the cusp of becoming a major U.S. ally in the region. We've got a great opportunity to make a friend in Central Asia. Let's not blow it.

[Diocletian]

What about the Hizb-u-Tahrir and IMU in the Fergana Valley?

The Fergana Valley is a hotbed of Islamist extremism who loathe Tashkent and Samarkand.