Tajik Security Council chief to deliver ultimatum to militants.

DUSHANBE, September 30 (Itar-Tass) - The Tajik authorities have called
on illegal armed formations operating in eastern Tajikistan to disband
themselves, otherwise, adequate measures against them will be taken. This
is a mandate or, actually, an ultimatum by the Tajik president that the
Chief of Tajik Security Council, Amirkul Azimov, who took a flight to the
Rashsky region on Thursday, is to deliver to the militants, sources from
Tajik security agencies said Thursday. It was not immediately known to
whom of the field commanders of the opposition this document will be
addressed.
Observers say the situation in the eastern region, which has long been
a stronghold of the Islamic armed resistance, has always been rather
complicated and unpredictable. In recent years the authorities managed to
put out sparkles of fire in the rebel region, but last summer field
commanders openly challenged the authorities when one of the
anti-government formations headed by ex-emergency situations minister
Mirzo Ziyeyev began armed operations against the power structures and the
local administration. During a security sweep part of the rebels headed by
Mirzo Ziyeyev were killed, and some of his militants were taken into
captivity. Twenty-five militants were sentenced to long prison terms, but
they escaped from the detention center overnight to August 23.
Search operations concentrated in the east of the country, which
aroused resistance from the local opposition. Heads of all the security
agrncies who attempted to talk with the field commanders on the Tajik
president's instructions returned to Dushanbe with no result.
Two weeks later militants shelled a convoy of Tajik defense ministry
servicemen when they were coming out from an inaccessible Komarob gorge
260 kilometers east of Dushanbe. The death toll rose to 26, including
servicemen killed on the spot and those died of wounds later. The incident
put an end to the government's efforts to reach peace with the militants.
On September 22 during the large-scale operation against the
militants in which all the Tajik power structures were involved the
eastern region was disconnected from all kinds of telephone and post
office communications. "Everyone realized then that the time of talks was
over. The Tajik government made the only and tough condition-unconditional
weapons surrender," said a source close to President Rakhmon's entourage.
Chief of the Tajik Security Council Azimov declared before departure
to the eastern region that the government has enough means and forces to
restore stability in the region and put an end to the militants. Azimov
made it clear that the illegal groups of militants were backed by "certain
forces from the outside."