Suicide blast kills Tajik policeman, wounds 25

Policemen and firefighters work at the site of a bomb explosion in Khujand, about 340 km (211 miles) north of the capital Dushanbe, on Frioday. (Reuters)

By OLGA TUTUBALINA | AP

DUSHANBE, Tajikistan: A suicide car bomb blast tore through police offices in Tajikistan's second-largest city Friday, killing one policeman and injuring 25 people, local officials said.

Tajikistan's Deputy Interior Minister Sharif Nazarov told The Associated Press that a car filled with explosives hit the offices of the police organized-crime division in Khujand at 8 a.m. Friday.

Ministry chief staff Takhir Normatov said one policeman was killed. The shattered ruins of the car had the remains of at least two people inside it, he said.

The car drove into the compound's gates as another vehicle was leaving, officials said.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing. But local news reports said suspicion was falling on the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a group with Al-Qaeda ties that seeks to establish an Islamic state in ex-Soviet Central Asia.

Tajikistan in impoverished and plagued by crime. The country borders northern Afghanistan, and is one of the main conduits for smuggled Afghan opium and heroin.

Post your comment

required

required (email will never be displayed)

Please enter the following characters in the box provided (case sensitive). This helps us prevent automated programs from creating accounts and sending spam.

All comments are subject to approval

Terms and conditions

Latest comments

Iran attack: History does not repeat itself too often

Arab countries should stop leaning on the shuolders of the west as they are dividing and ruling

Abbas at Feb 9, 2012 03:57

23 comments

New company to streamline manpower sector

Lol@KRUS Comment... Nice n timely example... <br/>So the egg is hatching after all the fuss abo

Salman at Feb 9, 2012 03:56

2 comments

Double veto pushes Syrian parties to the edge

Humanity is the forte of islam and muslims but shamefully for muslims, christians and others h

abdul hafiz at Feb 9, 2012 03:55

6 comments

US threats to cut aid won’t work: Egypt’s PM

No aid is something that the US and Egypt can agree on. <br/> <br/>Opinion polls show that the

Gert at Feb 9, 2012 03:55

1 comments

Attacks in Syria’s Homs resume after Russian peace foray

Watching the news tonight a man on the street in War torn Syria screams Wheres the U.N. ? Where

Joe at Feb 9, 2012 03:53

1 comments

Haia recruits to be trained

These recruits should also be taught to clean their offices. The hai'a office a stone's throw f

Dario Cansino at Feb 9, 2012 03:53

10 comments