TAJIK ARMY FACTIONS ACCEPT TRUCE, BUT WARN DUSHANBE.

Following mediation by a government commission specially sent from Dushanbe, the Tajik army’s 1st and 11th brigades agreed September 26 to stop fighting each other and to withdraw their heavy guns from the "confrontation line" in and around Kurgan-Tyube. But the 1st brigade refused to hand captured weapons over to the authorities. Instead, it warned that it would pursue the conflict until Tajik law enforcement agencies crack down on "crime groups and corrupt officials" in Dushanbe itself as well as in Kurgan-Tyube and in the 11t brigade. (17)

The two brigades have been in conflict for some time over control of the local economy and have been fighting each other with artillery and armor since September 17, reportedly killing several hundred soldiers and civilians. The Tajik government seems to have antagonized both brigades and not just the 1st. The 11th brigade has publicly blamed its initial defeats on Dushanbe leaders’ alleged collusion with the 1st and has also vowed to continue the struggle.

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