From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Thu Feb 17 2000 - 12:51:38 EST
Tajik border officer visits Kyrgyz capital
Text of report by the Kyrgyz newspaper 'Vecherniy Bishkek'
[Newspaper headline] Why did field commander Shokh arrive in Bishkek?
A `Vecherniy Bishkek' correspondent managed to find out that none other than
the commander of the Jirgatol (a Tajik settlement on our country's border)
border commandant's office, known to all Kyrgyz residents from recent
tragic Batken events, Shokh Iskenderov, arrived in the Kyrgyz capital on
2nd February..
It was he who in October of 1999, already after the long-awaited release of
the four Japanese hostages and the then commander of Interior Ministry
internal troops, Gen-Maj Anarbek Shamkeyev, stated that he took a direct
and active part in the operation.`Vecherniy Bishkek' published a detailed
interview with S. Iskenderov about the release of the prisoners of war
seized by the Islamic militants on 26th November.
One can only guess what has brought to Bishkek the man who makes no secret
of his close contacts with Juma Namangoniy, the leader of a group of
international terrorists who in August of the previous year infiltrated the
territory of Osh Region.
Talk about possible infiltration of the territory of Batken and Osh Regions
by militants from the so-called Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in the
coming spring has started going round again today. The leadership of the
Defence Ministry is providing assurances that, if necessary, the Kyrgyz
army will welcome the uninvited guests fully armed. To be frank, one can
hardly believe it.
It is difficult to share such optimism with the authorities either because
official Bishkek has never (!), since those troubled months, tried to even
indirectly explain to the mass media the reasons for what happened and sum
up the bitter results of the tragic lesson given by a handful of bandits
whom their homeland, Uzbekistan, wants for the dozens of crimes they have
committed.
Official Bishkek has limited itself to a pompous all-army conference at
which young lads and grey-headed officers who bravely defended the
republic's south for almost two months and also the head of state were
shown a video film featuring the war in...Chechnya [ellipsis as given].
Well, why did Shokh Iskenderov arrive in the capital of Kyrgyzstan which has
just become calm? Has he come to see his friend, the first deputy national
security minister, Valeriy Verchagin, or his friend and comrade-in-ideas, a
deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Supreme Council, Tursunbay Bakir
uulu? Or is it to visit an aide of the latter, who is a close relative of
the secret visitor himself, his brother Nurdin Temirov? Or...? [Ellipsis as
given]
Most likely, we will get an answer in spring, which is awaited with such
alarm... [Ellipsis as given] p.3
Source: 'Vecherniy Bishkek', Bishkek, in Russian 04 Feb 00 p*
BBC Mon CAU 150200/** GAR/MV
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