WHAT REBELS?

Alisher Saipov, Ferghana.Ru staff correspondent in Osh, reports discontent among the locals over behavior of the troops in Kara-Suu and arrests in the city. "Where were the men taken to? Why were they arrested?" the locals ask foreign journalists at a crossing point.

Anarchy in Kara-Suu began on May 14 when unidentified rebels overthrew local powers-that-be. Units of the regular army entered the city last night. Four suspected leaders of the rebels including one Bakhtiyor Rakhimov were arrested (several foreign TV channels ran a story on Rakhimov, yesterday, when he - mounted - promised to establish an Islamic caliphate in the region).

Residents of the Uzbek part of Kara-Suu who categorically refuse to identify themselves or have their photos taken say that arrests and the so called purges began simultaneously. A helicopter of the Uzbek Air Force (Foreign Ministry) circled the city all this morning. "The arrestees are taken away. We do not expect anything good," an aksakal or elder said.

Journalists who visited Rakhimov's place yesterday say that he is certainly a wealthy man. Rakhimov is a wrestler, an Asian palvan [Hercules]. He owns over 500 cows which is a sign of unprecedented wealth in the eyes of the locals. In fact, Rakhimov did say several times in front of TV cameras that his followers were prepared to establish an Islamic caliphate in the Ferghana Valley. His acquaintances claim that Rakhimov smokes hashish and his lexicon is full of invectives. Rakhimov announced as well that he had 500 gunmen on the Uzbek borders awaiting his orders. His claims seem strangely unsubstantiated but for his odd confidence... Some observers regard the whole matter of Rakhimov as a provocation staged by the authorities of Uzbekistan who desperately need to convince the international community of the danger of religious extremism present in the Ferghana Valley.

One Aikhurban from the Kyrgyz Kara-Suu, activist of the outlawed Hizb-ut-Takhrir, vehemently denied party involvement in the latest events in Andizhan. Kyrgyz Moslems say they do not want a caliphate. "Return to a caliphate means a return to Medieval Ages. Are we not supposed to use cellular phones, TV sets, and cars?" they say.

"When free speech is banned and tyranny exists, only religious leaders can say what they have to say. They alone wield clout with the masses and may even condition the believers," Saipov said. "Desperate, the population of provinces is ready to follow just about everyone. Liberalization of the political system is needed."