Kyrgz army looks to reassert control

Kyrgyzstan’s weak military was trying to regain control of the city of Osh, a major transit point for Afghan heroin and the epicentre of ethnic violence that has driven much of the Uzbek population from the country’s poor, rural south.

Troops encircled the city with checkpoints and held the central square, but citizens reported that some soldiers also were looting food aid, casting doubt on the government’s ability to re-establish stability after nearly a week of brutal attacks.

The leader of Kyrgyzstan’s Uzbek community said the death toll among Uzbeks exceeded 300.

The official toll on both sides is 189, although officials acknowledged it is likely far higher. More than 100,000 Uzbeks fled to Uzbekistan, with tens of thousands more camped on the Kyrgyz side of the border.

The interim Kyrgyz government alleged that attackers hired by deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev set off the bloodshed by shooting at both Kyrgyz and Uzbeks, who have a history of ethnic tensions.

The United Nations bolstered the claims by declaring that the fighting was “targeted and well-planned,” and appeared to have begun with five simultaneous attacks in Osh by men wearing ski masks.

Provisional authorities said Mr Bakiyev’s clan could try to foment unrest in other parts of the country.

Zarylbek Rysaliyev, the police chief in the capital, Bishkek, said his officers detained 111 people from the southern regions who allegedly sought to stir up ethnic tensions and offered money to those who would rally in Mr Bakiyev’s support.

Mr Rysaliyev also said police stepped up patrols around the Bishkek in northern Kyrgyzstan and set up roadblocks on the outskirts.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke by telephone with Kyrgyzstan’s interim President Roza Otunbayeva on Wednesday to discuss the aid the impoverished Central Asian nation will need. A senior American diplomat is heading to Bishkek for further consultations tomorrow.