Uzbekistan military boost may spark unrest

[Judi Lynn]

Wednesday, August 18, 2004 · Last updated 12:11 a.m. PT

Uzbekistan military boost may spark unrest

By BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

ALMATY, Kazakhstan -- Washington's plans to beef up its military base in Uzbekistan as part of a troop realignment abroad could whip up tensions between the impoverished ex-Soviet republic's secular government and radical Islamic groups, analysts and opposition politicians say.

Top Pentagon officials said Monday that the United States would make greater use of training and logistics bases on the soil of new allies such as Uzbekistan, Poland and Romania, while closing some U.S. installations in Europe to consolidate forces at larger bases there.
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Uzbekistan%20US%20Troops
President Islam Karimov's government has long struggled with radical Islamic groups, which easily find followers among Uzbeks frustrated by the lack of economic and democratic reforms.
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However, critics said the violence may have been triggered by Islamic fundamentalists' anger over Karimov's persecution of dissident Muslims. Thousands of devout Muslims have been imprisoned.
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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apeurope_story.asp?category=1103&slug=Uzbekistan%20US%20Troops

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The Dubster and Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov

See other _Bush officials meeting this sweetie here:
http://www.thememoryhole.org/pol/us-and-uz.htm

If you're interested in seeing Islam Karimov's tortured and murdered political prisoners, see this site:

Independent human rights groups estimate that there are more than 600 politically motivated arrests a year in Uzbekistan, and 6,500 political prisoners, some tortured to death. According to a forensic report commissioned by the British embassy, in August two prisoners were even boiled to death.

The US condemned this repression for many years. But since September 11 rewrote America's strategic interests in central Asia, the government of President Islam Karimov has become Washington's new best friend in the region.
(snip/...)

http://www.thenausea.com/elements/uzbekistan/tortures.html

Thanks to _{George W. Bush,} we get to call a fire-breathing, murdering/torturing fiend our national "friend" and to send a whole lot of our taxes to his country to build bases and sustain our armed forces.

[leftchick]

1. why am I evisioning lots of boiling bodies....

fueled by US tax dollars?!? :puke: