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| Central Asia |
| Uzbekistan: Tashkent Calls On Neighbors To Boost Border Security |
| 2004-09-14 |
| Uzbek President Islam Karimov yesterday had words of advice for his counterparts in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: clamp down on banned religious groups and prevent their members from crossing borders. More than 50 people have been killed in Uzbekistan this year in violence the Uzbek government blames on Islamic extremists. Both the Kazakh and Kyrgyz governments say they are doing, or will do, something to increase security. Speaking at a press conference, Karimov once again blamed the Islamic group Hizb-ut Tahrir for the recent acts of violence. But he also pointed a finger at neighboring countries for allowing that group and others to operate freely. "How can we fight when we don't have borders and [members of] [Hizb-ut Tahrir] are freely able to go to neighboring territories, train, live and operate there freely, conduct their activities and the next day they commit their wild acts?" Karimov said. Hizb-ut Tahrir, for its part, has denied involvement, saying it rejects violence as a means to its goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate in Central Asia. Kazakhstan has recently come into focus as a possible haven for militants. Uzbek authorities say one of the suicide bombers blamed in a July attack on the U.S. and Israeli embassies in Tashkent came from Kazakhstan. Russian investigators have also charged that Kazakhs were present during the recent Beslan hostage crisis. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev last week made clear his country would spend more money on security. "We must pay the utmost attention to strengthening our country's defense and security," Nazarbaev said. "The people should remember that we must spend more money now on our safety, on strengthening our defense, on the fight against drug trafficking, on preventive measures against the spread of terrorism." |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |