DUSHANBE, July 27, 2009, Asia-Plus — Two blasts rocked Tajik capital last weekends. Tajik law enforcement authorities have characterized the blasts as terrorist acts.
The source at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that the first blast occurred on the Titov Street, not far from the luggage compartment at the Dushanbe airport, on July 25, at about 9:30. The blast smashed windowpanes in the nearby apartment building, 38, Titov Street. “Fragments of homemade bomb were found at the explosion site,” the source said, noting that no injured was reported.
The second blast occurred several hours later near the Tojikiston Hotel in the center of Dushanbe. “The low-yield explosive was put under one of trees near the hotel,” said the source, “The explosion damaged Land Cruiser that was parked not far away from there.” There were no casualties, according to him.
We will recall that a source at one of power-wielding structures of the country told Asia-Plus on July 22 that Toyota Land Cruiser with three passengers on board was stopped at one of police posts in GBAO’s Darvoz district on July 18. “The passengers looked suspicious and police officers decided to temporarily detain them,” said the source, “It has been established that they are activists of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and were fighting alongside the Taliban against the US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan as well as against the Pakistani government forces in Waziristan. They said that they and several other IMU militants arrived in Tajikistan on an order of the IMU leader Tohir Yuldash to commit a series of terrorist acts in the territory of Tajikistan.”
“It is not clear yet whether the blasts are connected with the detained terrorists.” Said the source, “Criminal proceedings have been instituted and an investigation is under way.”
