Apparently a ‘clash’ occurred in Turkmenistan's capital of Ashgabat last Friday and Saturday in which heavy fire was exchanged, tanks and armored vehicles were used, and 20 or so Turkmen police officers were killed, who the clash involved besides Turkmen officers and what it was about is still open to debate. Turkmenistan's state media made no statements about the incident, but their foreign ministry, possibly trying to head off any claims that this was Andijon II, put out this statement: “Special units of Turkmenistan's law enforcement agencies carried out an operation to seize (the group), as a result of which the above mentioned criminal group was neutralized.” The Turk government went on to describe the incident as one perpetrated by organized criminal drug traffickers. On the other hand, independent websites not controlled by the Turkmen government and the opposition group Turkmenistan’ Popular Democratic Movement, led by Boris Shikhmuradov, claimed that the incident was a government battle against ‘a religious group, possibly radical Islamists.’ In 2005, the Turkmenistan government reportedly brutally suppressed an uprising, which they claimed was an Islamic insurrection, while others claim it was just by poor citizens peacefully protesting against government policies. Hopefully a full and accurate portrayal of the incident arises before too long, though I will not be holding my breath.
(Photo Source: The Associated Press: Turkmen policemen stand guard on a street in Ashgabat)
