KHUJAND, September 11, 2008, Asia-Plus — Three persons involved in a September 5 attack on police officer in the northern city of Isfara reportedly have ties with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
According to the Sughd police directorate, a 38-year-old district police officer Azizkhouja Toshkhoujayev was wounded in the Navgilem area of Isfara on September 5.
“The district police officer came to home of a 33-year-old Zikriddin Tursunov with suspected ties to the banned Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), who has been wanted by police for participation in the armed grouping (gang),” said the source. “Tursunov proved to be at home. Tursunov and two his buddies offered an armed resistance to Toshkhoujayev, firing at him from pistol. The criminal managed to escape.”
It is to be noted that it is not the first such an incident in Isfara over the past two months. As it had been reported earlier, two police officers were wounded in the city of Isfara on August 28.
Senior Lieutenant Firouz Olimov, 28, and Lieutenant Jamshed Ahmadov, 22, on a routine patrol spotted two suspicious-looking persons who were carrying a big black bag. The police officers asked those two persons to show their ID cards but they did not obey. The policemen decided to take them to the police department and got them into the car. On the way to the police department, one of detainees took out firearms from the bag and fired on the police officers. The detainees managed to escape; the police officers with serious bullet wounds were taken to the hospital. Olimov and Ahmadov are currently in good health condition.
In the meantime, the source at the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said that both gunmen in an August 28 attack had been identified. The source refrained from disclosing their names “in the interest of investigation.” He just said that they are currently in Kyrgyzstan and Tajik law enforcement authorities are conducting negotiations with their Kyrgyz colleagues on detention and extradition of them to Tajikistan.
