Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Renewed fighting reported in Central Asian republic Date: Mon, 23 Nov 92 15:07:21 EST Message-ID: \SE A;WORLD \SS (WS) \HD Renewed fighting reported in Central Asian republic \BY Elif Kaban \CR REUTERS NEWS AGENCY \DT TASHKENT, Uzbekistan TASHKENT, Uzbekistan - Fresh fighting was reported yesterday near Tajikistan's besieged capital of Dushanbe, and authorities were investigating a report that refugees had been massacred at a camp near the border with Afghanistan. The Central Asian republic's coalition of Muslim radicals, nationalists and self-styled democrats said fighters loyal to ousted President Rakhmon Nabiyev had attacked a town to the southeast of Dushanbe, killing and wounding many people. Tajik radio, which is controlled by the coalition, said fighters loyal to former parliament Chairman Sararali Kenjayev, a Nabiyev loyalist, had attacked the town of Yavan about 25 miles southeast of Dushanbe. Hundreds of people have died in a power struggle following the September ouster of Mr. Nabiyev as president of this former Soviet republic. Mr. Nabiyev, once the Communist Party chief, was elected president a year ago by a 60 percent majority, but his support evaporated as politics gave way to fighting between religious, ethnic and regional factions. A spokesman for the Tajik State Security Committee, Sayit Omar Rajabov, said parliament had ordered an investigation into the reported refugee camp massacre, but he could not confirm when or even if an attack had taken place. Mr. Rajabov, who spoke by telephone from Dushanbe, had no information on casualties. "We have heard of the reported massacre, but we have no official confirmation. Our office has started the investigation," he told Reuters news agency. A United Nations official in the region said thousands of refugees were stranded near the Tajik border with Afghanistan after fleeing the Shartuz district, where he said the massacre was said to have taken place on Nov. 12. The independent Russian news agency Nega said as many as 800 people may have been "killed or wounded" in the attack by unidentified, well-armed groups near the border with Afghanistan. It did not say when the attack took place. Geldolph Evers, regional representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said he interviewed two refugees from the area last week in the Uzbek town of Termez, just across the border. The refugees spoke of at least 50 people killed, including children and pregnant women, in an attack by what they described as "armed bandits" equipped with a tank and heavy machine guns. Reporting on the attack on Yavan, Tajik radio said: "As a result of this criminal act, people were killed and wounded. Government buildings were damaged in the district. Later, innumerable refugees entered the Kafarniyan district from the Yavan district." An army of about 3,000 men supporting a loose coalition of Muslim activists and democrats is still holding Dushanbe despite gains across the Central Asian state by Nabiyev loyalists. But it appears to have been outflanked politically by the former president's supporters, who reasserted their power at a parliamentary meeting in the northern town of Khojand and who are expected to dominate a new government to be formed this week. The parliament, meeting for the past week in Khojand, has called for talks among leaders of the rival armed groups. Last week it moved to defuse the conflict by accepting the voluntary resignation of Mr. Nabiyev, a rallying figure for pro-communist forces. But former Communists in the legislature elected as parliament chairman Imamali Rakhmonov from the southern town of Kulyab. A commentator for Moscow's liberal newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta said most independent observers regarded Mr. Rakhmonov as "an obedient tool" of the pro-communist militia leadership. He was to meet this week with the new prime minister, businessman Abdulmalik Abdulajanov, to decide the make-up of the Cabinet with key posts likely to go to former Communists. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM