QURGHON TEPPA, January 20, 2016, Asia-Plus — 43 residents of Khatlon province participated in a September deadly mutiny, Bahrom Sharifzoda, the chief of the Interior Ministry’s office in Khatlon, told reporters in Qurghon Teppa on January 19.
“23 of them were detained and six others were killed in a special operation carried out by government forces,” Sharifzoda said, adding that 14 other supporters of the mutinous general Nazarzoda are internationally wanted.
As it had been reported earlier, former deputy defense minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda and a group of gunmen under his control launched a predawn attack on the main police station in the Vahdat Township east of the Tajik capital on September 4, and clashed later that day with security forces at a Defense Ministry building not far from the Dushanbe International Airport. Nine police officers were killed and six others were wounded in those attacks.
Nazarzoda, his associate Colonel Junaidulloh Umarov, and several other gunmen then fled to the Romit Gorge, adjacent to Vahdat, where security forces were targeting them in a large-scale manhunt.
Nazarzoda and a group of his followers were surrounded by government security forces in the Gusgev area about 110 kilometers east of Dushanbe and were killed on September 16 after refusing to surrender.
Prosecutor General’s Office of Tajikistan launched criminal proceedings against the members of the terrorist group over an attempt to seize power, organize coup d’etat, as well as terror and other crimes.
Tajik authorities have said mutinous general Abduhalim Nazarzoda was allegedly linked to the banned Islamic Revival Party (IRP).
In a statement released on September 17, the Prosecutor-General”s Office says Abduhalim Nazarzoda and his followers were acting on orders by IRP leader Muhiddin Kabiri, who is currently in self-imposed exile.
We will recall that the head of the Khatlon police held a news conference on January 19 to review local police’s progress in combating “foreign” influences in 2015.
He said that local police last year uncovered and closed down 162 shops and stalls where hijabs (the Islamic head covering for women) were being sold.
According to him, 6,873 local women cast off their hijabs (the Islamic head covering for women) last year.
Police reportedly also detained 89 hijab-wearing prostitutes last year.
According to Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, Sharifzoda moved on and recounted that 12,818 men who “had overly long and unkempt beards” were “brought to order.”
