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7 arrested over unrest in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan Materials 22 June 2010 07:30 (UTC +04:00)
Kyrgyz security forces have arrested seven people in connection with the ethnic unrest in the south of the country, Press TV reported.
7 arrested over unrest in Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz security forces have arrested seven people in connection with the ethnic unrest in the south of the country, Press TV reported.

The government of Kyrgyzstan said a "special operation" was carried out in Osh on Monday against militants who were refusing to hand over weapons.

Seven people were arrested, and two grenades, 40 cartridges for automatic weapons, and three Molotov cocktails were seized.

The government of Kyrgyzstan is also dismantling the barricades that ethnic Uzbeks had built during the unrest, but the southern region of the country remains under a state of emergency.

Clashes have subsided and armored personnel carriers have cleared away burned-out vehicles, concrete pillars, large boulders, and felled trees used as barricades by the Uzbeks as protection against attacks.

The unrest, which began on June 10, claimed the lives of at least 2,000 people and affected more than a million. The violence subsided after four days of intense clashes but many people have been reported missing.

Kyrgyz forces continued operations in the south on Monday to find the people behind the deadly ethnic clashes in the Central Asian state, killing two people and wounding 23 others.

Interim President Roza Otunbayeva travelled to Osh on Monday, where she met with security forces and residents.

She insisted that the country would go ahead with the referendum on a new constitution on Sunday, saying it was vital for stability.

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