Locals expel Uzbek town leaders

[Deepest Red]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4549873.stm


Local residents have seized control of Karasu, a border town in eastern Uzbekistan, driving out representatives of the central government.

Angry crowds set government buildings alight and attacked the mayor.

Revolution?
I know little of the situation in Uzbekistan, are there really radical religious extremists powering things or is this 'normal' people taking rightful control of what is theirs?

Comments?

[Phalanx]

Everything that is going on in Uzbekistan is very hazy at the moment. The media is afraid to criticize the government of Uzbekistan too harshly, so the reports are never very accurate. of course they'd say the protesters are radical fundementalists, because the massacre looks alot better to average 'mericans

[anonymous_red]

as long as there is a u.s. military presence in uzbekistan i don't think we'll be seeing any revolution.

[Phalanx]

Even without U$ presence, Karimov has the military behind him. I don't know if the rebels are well-armed, but i don't think they have tanks or helicopters. This uprising may be crushed brutally, or the rebels could cordon off a small area, like FARC. I don't think they will be able to march into Tashkent.

[bolshevik butcher]

Well at least it has highlighted the situation in the west, and how long can the president count on the armies support?

[viva le revolution]

The situation in Uzbekistan is pretty hazy because the media is afraid to criticize Karimov the way he deserves to be because he is an ally of the United States and a significant U.S military presence has done nothing to curb this dictator's bloodthirsty aspirations. The label of religious-fundamentalist has been thrown in just to confuse the media and general population of the west to rally support for Karimov in the west and look the other way if the rebellion is crushed by the Uzbek military and if the U.S military there extends it's support. However i doubt whether the U.S will directly interfere in this conflict but will extend logistic and indirect support to the brutal regime.

[dso79]

The former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan also says that the protesters were not extremists:


http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/s...sp?story=638532 (http://news.independent.co.uk/world/asia/story.jsp?story=638532)


In a severe rebuke to London and Washington's approach to the region, Britain's former ambassador to the country yesterday said the countries had swallowed Uzbek propaganda that sought to portray the democracy movement as a brand of Islamic extremism.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/internation...1484252,00.html (http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1484252,00.html)


The former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, who claims that he lost his job for exposing the human rights abuses of the US's new ally in the war on terror, said the Islamic elements in the Andijan crowds were moderate - 'more Turkey than Taliban'.