Tajikistan violence

This item appears on page 61 of the November 2015 issue.

In Tajikistan, gunmen loyal to ousted Deputy Defense Minister General Abduhalim Nazarzoda attacked police forces in the city of Vahdat, near the capital, Dushanbe, on Sept. 4, killing nine police officers. During the attack, 13 of the gunmen were killed. On Sept. 16, government forces killed General Nazarzoda along with 11 of his men.

Nazarzoda was the leader of an Islamic rebel group during the 5-year civil war in Tajikistan, which ended in 1997 when rebel leaders were incorporated into the government as part of a peace deal. He was removed from office in late August 2015 after the Tajikistani government banned the political party with which he was affiliated.