tajikistanweb.com

270508 - The brother of a former "People’s Front" leader has been arrested by Tajik police after a long battle in the town of Kulab in southern Tajikistan that began on Monday night. Five people have been reported shot dead with one of them being a child. Reportedly, two other victims were ordinary passers-by struck by stray bullets.

The two-storey building of Suhrab Langariev – the younger brother of Langari Langariev who fought on the side of Rahmon’s government during the civil war – was cordoned off by police before the shooting started.

Interfax news agency quotes a source in the Tajik Interior Ministry as saying that Suhrab Langariev and his men had stashed over 100 kilograms of heroin in the house. The operation was carried out by the Interior Ministry and the National Security Committee’s ‘Alfa’ group.

Eight people had been hiding in the house, including Suhrab Langariev himself, his two supporters and five citizens of Afghanistan, Asia-Plus quotes the deputy head of the National Security Committee Kasym Ghaffarov. According to him, plenty of weapons, ammunition and narcotic substances were found in the house during the operation.

Local police authorities say that Suhrab Langariev, 29, had been on the "wanted list" since long ago for charges over robbery.

Suhrab’s brother, Langari Langariev, was highly revered as a ‘hero’ by the present government of Tajikistan for paving the way of the so-called People’s Front to power during the civil war (1992-1997). He was killed in 1992.