A Kyrgyzstan special operations team killed four suspected members of a banned Islamist group during a raid in Osh. Three of the men, thought to belong to the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan or the Hizb-ut-Tahir, were shot, and the fourth detonated a hand grenade, killing himself.
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Abu Usman Adil served as Tahir Yuldashev’s deputy before taking control of the IMU.
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Kyrgyzstani intelligence officials claimed that ousted Prime Minister Bakiyev plotted with the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and Tajik Islamist groups to spark the ethnic violence that resulted in more than 2,000 deaths in the south. Two Bakiyev family members reportedly met with IMU leaders in Badakhshan.
Russia pushing for control of fuel supplies to crucial US airbase
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Manas transit center sends relief to southern Kyrgyzstan
Russia may send troops to Kyrgyzstan to help put down ethnic violence between Kyrgyz and Uzbek populations that has resulted in 124 people killed so far. The violence has not caused US operations at Manas airbase to be shut down. Russia is reportedly working to have US operations in Manas shut down.
Russians pressing Kyrgyzstan to oust US base
The US suspended flights by KC-135 refueling aircraft at the base in Manas after the new government pressed to re-negotiate the fuel contract. The Kyrgyzstan government wants to raise the cost of fuel. Other US aircraft are flying from Manas.
Secretary of State Clinton said the US has been “given assurances by the new leadership in Kyrgyzstan that the United States will retain access to the Manas air base.” The deputy leader of the interim government said a constitutional referendum will be held on June 27 and parliamentary elections on October 10.
Before Kyrgyz uprising, a dose of Russian soft power
The deputy leader of the interim government said the continued use of the Manas airbase for resupplying Afghanistan “is not justified” as the US supported former President Bakiyev and ignored the opposition. “All the Americans care about is that the military base stays. They forgot about freedom, about democratic values.”
The US airbase in Manas has been reopened to supply US forces in Afghanistan after being shut down due to the overthrow of the government on April 7. The interim defense minister said Manas is vital to NATO’s efforts in Afghanistan. Deposed President Bakiyev has fled to Kazakhstan.
Russia blamed for fueling unrest in Kyrgyzstan
The US has suspended flights to and from its air base in Manas due to security concerns after the opposition overthrew President Bakiyev’s government. The interim government has promised to honor an agreement made under Bakiyev’s government for the US to use the airbase.
President Kurmanbek Bakiyev refused to resign after the opposition overthrew the government on April 7. The interim government will hold an election in six months. The US has resumed normal operations at the airbase in Manas.