DUSHANBE, February 28, Asia-Plus  -- An official with the Ministry of Interior (MoI) told Asia-Plus today that another 20 firearms were handed over yesterday, following an ultimatum made by the GBAO police directorate.  A process of handing over of weapons is continuing.  

“In all, 30 unit of firearms have been handed over to Khorog police since Febraury 26,” the MoI official said, noting that situation in the city is coming to normal and a process of handing over of weapons is continuing.

We will recall that a high-ranking official with a MoI told Asia-plus on Monday that a group of armed persons fired at a building of the Khorog police department in the evening of February 23.  According to him, a group numbering seven persons, led by Mamadboqir Mamadboqirov, former commanders of one of frontier posts in the Murgab district, fired several times at the building of the Khorog police department.  They then burst into the building and beat one of duty officers, the MoI official said.    

As it had been reported earlier, in accordance with ultimatum made by the GBAO police directorate on Febraury 26, members of the armed formation of Mamadboqirov should have handed over their weapons by 3:00 p.m. yesterday.  Tuesday evening, they voluntarily handed over 10 Kalashnikov to the Khorog police department.  Later, the ultimatum term was extended to today evening.     

The MoI official noted that according to their information, in all, members of Mamadboqirov’s group had 40 firearms.