TASHKENT -- Uzbekistan appears to be preparing to build an extensive new military facility near the Kyrgyz border, RFE/RL’s Uzbek Service reports.
Residents of the area of Khanabad, which borders Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan, say that bulldozers and other construction equipment have arrived in the area to build a "military city."
A local official contacted by RFE/RL has confirmed the eyewitness reports, despite denials by government officials.
The purported military base is located in a region that was attacked on May 26 by armed groups that crossed over the border from Kyrgyzstan.
Following that incident, in which three attacks by unknown groups took place within a span of 24 hours, government officials evacuated people from the area.
The evacuation now appears to have been in preparation for the present construction activity.
Residents of the area of Khanabad, which borders Jalal-Abad in Kyrgyzstan, say that bulldozers and other construction equipment have arrived in the area to build a "military city."
A local official contacted by RFE/RL has confirmed the eyewitness reports, despite denials by government officials.
The purported military base is located in a region that was attacked on May 26 by armed groups that crossed over the border from Kyrgyzstan.
Following that incident, in which three attacks by unknown groups took place within a span of 24 hours, government officials evacuated people from the area.
The evacuation now appears to have been in preparation for the present construction activity.
