Dawn attack on former opposition commander

Heavily armed detachments of the Tajik Ministry of the Interior and other law enforcement units launched a dawn raid on a renegade commander near the village of Teppai Samarkandi, nine kilometres to the east of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, on Friday. A statement by the interior ministry said security forces had launched an operation to “suppress and render harmless the terrorist group led by Rakhmon Sanginov”.

Local experts told IRIN that the move was an attempt by the authorities to crack down on Rakhmon Sanginov, a former opposition commander, who has been implicated in numerous “terrorist attacks”, most recently in a hostage-taking incident to the east of Dushanbe.

On 11 June, a group of 40 armed men under Sanginov’s command took seven police and interior ministry officers hostage nine kilometres to the east of the capital. The hostage-takers demanded the authorities release accomplices that had been arrested in connection with the assassination of Deputy Interior Minister General-Mayor Khabib Sanginov on 11 April, the statement said. According to local experts, Khabib Sanginov had played a significant role in the resolution of the inter-Tajik conflict, including operations against renegade military units in Garm and Kofarnikhon districts.

Although the hostages were later released, it is believed that the 11 June hostage incident prompted the security authorities to launch the attack against Sanginov. Residents in the capital reported the sound of heavy-calibre guns overnight on Friday, and international agencies have been advised by the authorities to avoid travelling outside the capital until further notice.

The interior ministry statement said the security operation had been launched “in order to protect rights and order in Tajikistan”. It warned that similar illegal activities would not be tolerated, but “dealt with strictly”.

Local experts report a spate of terrorist activities by former opposition commanders in the last two months, including the hostage taking of 15 international aid workers from German Agro Action (GAA) in Garm, central Tajikistan, on 15 June, in a similar attempt to coerce the authorities. The hostages were released soon after.