Three killed in market terror blasts

A series of explosions blamed on terrorists ripped through the Uzbek capital Tashkent today killing at least three policemen and wounding 20 people.

One report said a female suicide bomber blew up part of the market in the old quarter of the capital.

Another officer was killed in a shoot-out with terror suspects.

Russia’s Interfax news agency reported there were also at least two explosions in the Silk Road city of Bukhara in central Uzbekistan, citing Interior Ministry sources.

Uzbek Foreign Ministry spokesman Ilkhom Zakirov said there were “several terrorist acts”, that arrests had been made and an investigation was under way. He confirmed there were casualties but gave no details.

The US Embassy said Uzbek authorities had confirmed “multiple explosions” had occurred, and that a terrorist safe house had been raided and several arrests made.

The embassy warned in a statement that “other terrorists are believed still at large and may be attempting additional attacks”.

It warned Americans to be on ”highest alert”. An embassy office in the centre of Tashkent was closed because of the blasts, but the main building remained open.

One of the blasts was at the Chorsu market in the Old City, said Alimzhon Turdakulov, spokesman for the National Security Service.

Russia’s Echo of Moscow radio, citing the RIA-Novosti news agency, said several people had been killed.

Russia’s ITAR-Tass news agency reported that according to initial information, a suicide bomber had blown herself up and that two people were killed and about 20 injured. It said its correspondent had witnessed the explosion and reported that people had been thrown several yards by the blast.

Interfax reported three policemen were killed in the explosion. It said a gunfight also erupted when a driver was stopped leaving the city and discovered to have explosive-laden belts, and a policeman was killed.

Zakirov tied the explosions to the recent train bombings in Madrid and with continuing turbulence in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Police and intelligence agents closed off the sprawling market and vans with investigators were massed in front of the “Children’s World” store, where the blast occurred.