ARMED CONFRONTATION IN TURSUNZADE RESUMES.

The western town of Tursunzade, along with its aluminum plant (Tajikistan’s chief industrial asset), seems to be slipping out of the government’s reach. A large crowd of local people yesterday blocked the path of a Presidential Guard unit that was attempting to enter the town, and the local military commander, Lt. Col. Dovlat Tursunov, sided with the populace and its armed "self-defense groups" against the force from Dushanbe. The latter, headed personally by the commander of the Presidential Guard, Maj. Gen. Gafar Mirzoev, remains poised outside the town. Armed supporters of anti-Dushanbe warlord Ibod Boimatov, who is based in neighboring Uzbekistan, have also joined the locals. (Interfax, Western agencies, January 16; Itar-Tass, January 17)

The Monitor is a publication of the Jamestown Foundation. It is researched and written under the direction of senior analysts Jonas Bernstein, Vladimir Socor, Stephen Foye, and analysts Ilya Malyakin, Oleg Varfolomeyev and Ilias Bogatyrev. If you have any questions regarding the content of the Monitor, please contact the foundation. If you would like information on subscribing to the Monitor, or have any comments, suggestions or questions, please contact us by e-mail at pubs@jamestown.org, by fax at 301-562-8021, or by postal mail at The Jamestown Foundation, 4516 43rd Street NW, Washington DC 20016. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution of the Monitor is strictly prohibited by law. Copyright (c) 1983-2002 The Jamestown Foundation Site Maintenance by Johnny Flash Productions