20 Injured as Bakiyev Supporters Fight Backers of Interim Govt in Jalal-Abad

Nearly 20 people have been injured as clashes broke out on Friday in the southern Kyrgyz city of Jalal-Abad between supporters of deposed President Kurmanbek Bakiyev and backers of the interim government, said media reports citing news agency 24.kg.

The agency reported that as many as 400-500 Bakiyev supporters and 4,000-5,000 supporters of the interim government indulged in a fight near the city’s administrative building, reports said.

In the fight, 20 persons were injured and shots were being fired into the air, said reports.

Earlier in the morning, Bakiyev supporters said that they expected nearly 10,000 people to assemble in Jalal-Abad in support of the ousted president, reports said.

Following bloody overthrow of the government last month, the situation in Kyrgyzstan aggravated yesterday as Bakiyev supporters stormed administrative buildings in three southern regions.

The south of Kyrgyzstan has long been considered Bakiyev’s stronghold, and he initially took refuge in the region during the uprisings, before fleeing to neighboring Kazakhstan and then Belarus.

Kyrgyz officials made a formal request to the Belarusian Prosecutor General’s Office earlier this week to extradite Bakiyev.

An official said that the request was being considered, but a Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman suggested it that would not be resolved quickly.

The Kyrgyz Prosecutor General’s Office has accused Bakiyev and his relatives of involvement in the deaths of more than 80 people shot by security forces during the April unrest.

(Based on media reports)