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Senior US commander visits Uzbekistan
Tashkent (AFP) Jan 24, 2008 The head of the US Central Command, Admiral William Fallon, met Thursday with Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov, state television reported, in a one of the highest-level visits to the gas-rich ex-Soviet republic by a US official in years. "We consider your visit a remarkable event in mutual relations between Uzbekistan and the US ... and a good chance for discussing military-technical cooperation," Karimov told Fallon. Fallon also met the country's defence and foreign ministers. Uzbekistan's relations with the United States deteriorated after Washington condemned the bloody repression of unrest in the city of Andijan in May 2005. Uzbekistan retaliated by evicting a US air base that had been set up near the Afghan border following the September 11, 2001 attacks. Uzbekistan has also been criticised for widespread human rights abuses and suppression of political opposition. The United States and other countries called for an independent investigation of the Andijan incident, in which witnesses said security forces shot dead hundreds of people. The authorities say 187 people died, all due to the activities of Islamist insurgents. Karimov said last December that Uzbekistan was keen to mend ties with the West. Prior to arriving in Tashkent, William Fallon visited Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Related Links News From Across The Stans
Afghan air force seven years away from combat missions: general
Washington (AFP) Jan 24, 2008With its ageing pilots flying Soviet-era aircraft, Afghanistan's fledgling air force will not be ready to support its own troops in combat before 2013, a US Air Force official said Wednesday. |
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