Islamic leader announces rebellion in Uzbek town

A REBEL leader deepened the crisis in eastern Uzbekistan by announcing an Islamic uprising in his border town.

The call came as diplomats and UN officials toured the city of Andijan under government escort to investigate accounts of recent bloodshed.

President Islam Karimov's government shrugged off Bakhtiyor Rakhimov's claims as "nonsense", but the rebel leader said his forces controlled Korasuv, a town of 20,000 on the Kyrgyz border, and were ready to fight any government troops that came to crush his rebellion. It is unclear how many people Rakhimov commands.

"We will be building an Islamic state here in accordance with the Quran," Rakhimov said. "People are tired of slavery."

Uzbek Interior Minister Zakir Almatov belittled the militant leader's claims.

"It's sheer nonsense, everything is normal there," he said.

"If anything had happened there, I already would have been there."

The uprising in Korasuv began with attacks on police and government posts on Saturday, a day after the region exploded in unrest with thousands taking to the streets in Uzbekistan's fourth-largest city, Andijan, in a rage over the trial of 23 Muslims and economic hardship.

Troops loyal to Karimov put down the protest on Friday in Andijan and reportedly did the same in the town of Pakhtabad.

Accounts have varied on the death toll, with the government citing 169 dead in Andijan, and opposition activists citing more than 700 dead - 500 in Andijan and about 200 in Pakhtabad - most of them civilians.

Karimov blamed the unrest on militants and denied troops fired on any civilians, though on Friday a reporter saw troops open fire on protesters in Andijan.

UN officials yesterday toured Andijan's regional emergency hospital, which was treating 106 people wounded in the riots.

Regional health department head Valikhan Khakimov said 72 were civilians and 34 law enforcement officials. He would not give the overall casualty figure.

Outside, patients' relatives crowded the gates. They weren't allowed inside the hospital. "They don't let us in, they don't explain anything, they just say no," said Khamid Fazliddinov, 45, who hasn't seen his wounded son for five days.