BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Kyrgyzstan officials found an assault rifle allegedly used by Islamic militants during clashes in the country's south in June, the interior minister said.
The government has fought for control since an April coup. Hundreds of people were killed during summer violence between Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the southern regions of Osh and Jalal Abad.
Kyrgyz Interior Minister Zarylbek Rysaliev told lawmakers that forensic evidence taken from an assault rifle stolen from government storage during an April coup was used by ethnic Kyrgyzs against Special Forces in June.
He said explosives tied to the cache that contained the assault rifle were similar to those used in an explosion targeting a sports complex in November.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Bishkek in December as part of a state visit to Western allies in Central Asia. Her visit was precipitated by an explosion in front of a sports arena hosting a trial for members of the regime of Kurmanbek Bakiyev who were accused of abuses in the aftermath of the coup.
An official investigation, looking into ethnic violence that gripped parts of southern Kyrgyzstan after an April coup led Bakiyev to flee the country, blamed Uzbek leaders and Bakiyev backers for the conflict. Washington said it was concerned about allegations of torture during the unrest and analysts said Bishkek wasn't yet ready to conduct "an honest investigation" into the June conflicts. UPI
