STALEMENT CONTINUES IN TAJIKISTAN.

The stalemate continues today around the Sodirov brothers’ camp at Kalainav, 85 kilometers east of Dushanbe. There are unconfirmed allegations that the Sodirovs have killed one UN observer hostage and that five pro-Sodirov fighters were killed before the remaining 35 were airlifted by Russian helicopters from Afghanistan to Obi-Garm near Kalainav. The Sodirovs demand a one-time, all-for-all exchange of the hostages for their supporters airlifted from Afghanistan, and want the exchange to take place at their camp. The Tajik government, coordinating its moves with Moscow, is offering a one-for-one exchange of batches of hostages for the pro-Sodirov fighters, and wants the exchange to take place well outside the Sodirovs’ camp. The two brothers, who one year ago switched sides from the Opposition to the government, hold 14 foreign and Tajik hostages, including a group of UN military observers and a group of Russian journalists. (Russian and Western agencies, February 14)

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