Witnesses Say Uzbekistan Building Military Base Near Kyrgyz Border
August 26, 2009
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.