DUSHANBE, September 5, 2012, Asia-Plus – According to information received, six buses with officers from the Interior Ministry, Rapid Reaction Force, and the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) on board arrived at the Dushanbe airport in the afternoon of September 3 and from there they were flown by plane to Khorog, the capital of the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported.
RFE/RL cited an officer from the Rapid Reaction Force as saying that his colleagues from Isfara were carried to Dushanbe two days ago for sending to Khorog. Besides a group of officers from the SCNS’s offices in Sughd’s districts and Special Rapid Reaction Unit was carried to Dushanbe for sending to Khorog.
An officer from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) reportedly confirmed information about sending additional forces to Khorog. According to him, these measures are taken to ensure security of the president during his forthcoming visit to Khorog.
We will recall that Minister of Defense Sherali Khairulloyev announced at a meeting that took place at the Khorog mayor’s office on August 27 that President Emomali Rahmon is expected to visit Khorog in the second half of September. Some of officials noted at the meeting that president’s visit will take place if stability is provided in the region.
As it had been reported earlier, the clashes began in Khorog on July 24 when government forces launched a military operation against what it called “militants” following the murder of the regional security chief Abdullo Nazarov on July 21.
The authorities have blamed Tolib Ayombekov, the former warlord from the civil war, for the murder of Abdullo Nazarov. Hundreds of troops have reportedly poured into Khorog to hunt down Ayombekov.
Authorities also accused Ayombekov of drug-trading and smuggling tobacco and precious stones.
Tolib Ayombekov has denied the accusations and said the government is using Nazarov”s death as a pretext for cementing its grip over Gorno Badakhshan. Tolib Ayombekov surrendered to the authorities on August 12.
