<p>Heavy snow continued to affect parts of China on Saturday, closing highways, causing train and flight cancellations, and even interrupting a soccer match between Vietnam and Uzbekistan in a southern Chinese province.</p>

<p>In central Hubei province, sections of more than 30 highways were closed due to icy conditions, the official Xinhua news agency reported.</p>

<p>The three railway stations in Wuhan, Hubei&#39;s provincial capital, cancelled more than a hundred train journeys.</p>

<p>By about noon (0400 GMT), 95 flights had been cancelled at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, stranding some 1,200 passengers.</p>

<p>The airport at Nanning, capital of south China&#39;s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, also cancelled many flights.</p>

<p>In Changzhou city in southern Jiangsu province, the second half of the Under-23 Asian Cup final was interrupted for an hour on Saturday afternoon as snow covered the pitch.</p>

<p>Vietnam, long seen as an underdog, had defeated Australia, Iraq and Qatar to face Uzbekistan in the final, cheered on by Vietnamese at home and at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre.</p>

<p>The National Meteorological Centre renewed an orange alert on Saturday for snowstorms in central and eastern China. The orange alert is the second-highest in a four-tier weather warning system.</p>

<p>Heavy snow or sleet was expected in parts of Henan, Hubei, Guizhou and Hunan provinces and regions along the Yangtze River and Huaihe River.</p>

<p>Blizzards will strike parts of Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei and Hunan provinces.</p>

<p>On Friday, a unit of China&#39;s State Oceanic Administration issued a blue alert for sea ice in a key port area in the north of the country, potentially disrupting commodities shipments.</p>


In central Hubei province, sections of more than 30 highways were closed due to icy conditions

Heavy snow continued to affect parts of China on Saturday, closing highways, causing train and flight cancellations, and even interrupting a soccer match between Vietnam and Uzbekistan in a southern Chinese province. In central Hubei province, sections of more than 30 highways were closed due to icy conditions, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The three railway stations in Wuhan, Hubei's provincial capital, cancelled more than a hundred train journeys. By about noon (0400 GMT), 95 flights had been cancelled at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, stranding some 1,200 passengers. The airport at Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, also cancelled many flights. In Changzhou city in southern Jiangsu province, the second half of the Under-23 Asian Cup final was interrupted for an hour on Saturday afternoon as snow covered the pitch. Vietnam, long seen as an underdog, had defeated Australia, Iraq and Qatar to face Uzbekistan in the final, cheered on by Vietnamese at home and at the Changzhou Olympic Sports Centre. The National Meteorological Centre renewed an orange alert on Saturday for snowstorms in central and eastern China. The orange alert is the second-highest in a four-tier weather warning system. Heavy snow or sleet was expected in parts of Henan, Hubei, Guizhou and Hunan provinces and regions along the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. Blizzards will strike parts of Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hubei and Hunan provinces. On Friday, a unit of China's State Oceanic Administration issued a blue alert for sea ice in a key port area in the north of the country, potentially disrupting commodities shipments.

Heavy snow in central, southern China causes travel havoc

<p>Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are working to start a transit route, which will be operational soon.</p>

<p>The Tolo News quoted officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries as saying that the delegations from the two countries were working to make this happen.</p>

<p>The spokesman for the ministry, Musafir Qoqandi, said that the new route would help to send Afghan goods from Uzbekistan to other parts of the world.</p>

<p>The countries have reportedly signed dozens of agreements and contracts during Afghan President Ashraf Ghani&#39;s trip to Tashkent this month.</p>

<p>&quot;We continue our efforts to start our transit through as soon as possible. Uzbekistan is also very interested to start transit through Afghanistan,&quot; Qoqandi said.</p>

<p>However, the deputy head of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Khanjan Alokozay, has suggested the government to take the issue under &#39;proper management&#39;.</p>

<p>&quot;Uzbekistan is trying to use Afghanistan route because it needs a closer route to South Asia. It exports iron and cotton worth billions of dollars every year,&quot; Alokozay said.</p>


The new route would help to send Afghan goods from Uzbekistan to other parts of the world

Afghanistan and Uzbekistan are working to start a transit route, which will be operational soon. The Tolo News quoted officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industries as saying that the delegations from the two countries were working to make this happen. The spokesman for the ministry, Musafir Qoqandi, said that the new route would help to send Afghan goods from Uzbekistan to other parts of the world. The countries have reportedly signed dozens of agreements and contracts during Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's trip to Tashkent this month. "We continue our efforts to start our transit through as soon as possible. Uzbekistan is also very interested to start transit through Afghanistan," Qoqandi said. However, the deputy head of Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Khanjan Alokozay, has suggested the government to take the issue under 'proper management'. "Uzbekistan is trying to use Afghanistan route because it needs a closer route to South Asia. It exports iron and cotton worth billions of dollars every year," Alokozay said.

Afghanistan, Uzbekistan to start transit route soon

<p>The Halloween terrorist attack in New York by Sayfullo Saipov has ignited a debate in social media between scholars of Central Asia on why there is an apparently increasing number of such attacks by Uzbeks. The New York atrocity follows similar events in Istanbul, St Petersburg and Stockholm. Four very prominent attacks within ten months give an impression and suggest a trend.</p>

<p>Certain questions naturally arise. Why so many Uzbeks? Does this simply reflect the high number of emigrants, or is it a matter of specific recruitment networks within their migrant communities? Does the combination of a more repressive environment at home with a more open environment in countries of destination matter? Maybe it&rsquo;s specific histories of conflict between certain groups and the government in Tashkent? Or, perhaps, it&rsquo;s a backlash against the foreign allies of Uzbekistan? For most of these questions, only partial answers are available &ndash; but certain things can be said.</p>

<p>The error repeatedly made across the media is to look for explanations in Uzbekistan itself, but this isn&rsquo;t about radicalisation in Uzbekistan. There are very few terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan itself, only ten out of 85,000 global incidents recorded from 2001-2016. The much-cited Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan left the country almost two decades ago, hasn&rsquo;t committed an attack there since 2004, and now fights in remnants in Afghanistan and Pakistan.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the attackers perpetrating the incidents above left Uzbekistan many years before the attacks and were &ldquo;radicalised&rdquo; after leaving. Clearly, the real explanations lie elsewhere.</p>

<p><strong>Getting out</strong></p>

<p>This is why migration matters, as it does on almost every question with regard to contemporary Central Asia. Uzbekistan has easily the largest population in Central Asia, with more than 30m citizens. Over the last 20 years, several million Uzbeks have left their home country in search of a better life abroad. In this sense, the millions of Uzbeks are part of a wider trend of predominantly young men migrating overseas. For many of them, this is a tremendous opportunity; most are assets to their new home countries. But a tiny minority fall prey to radicalisation and violence.</p>

<p>In a social media debate with other Central Asia specialists, Sarah Kendzior, a journalist and anthropologist of Uzbekistan, argued:&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>I think the big error that people are making is that this is an &lsquo;Uzbek problem&rsquo; instead of a &lsquo;alienated man abroad susceptible to the influence of terrorist propaganda and recruitment efforts&rsquo; problem. It makes far more sense to examine the three Uzbek cases within this broader category of men.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Then there&rsquo;s the question of recruitment mechanisms among migrants. Sergei Abashin, the Russian anthropologist, has drawn attention to how the sheer extent of Uzbek migrant networks makes them an attractive target for militant groups who offer them meaning in militant religion. Uzbek author and journalist Hamid Ismailov concur; in a Facebook response to the Saipov attack, he recalled a passage from his 2014 novel where he linked the emergence of international Uzbek jihadist networks to the battle between two very violent political institutions: the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the government of Uzbekistan.</p>

<p>Also relevant are specific security governance measures and patterns. Kendzior is correct that the things that attract Central Asians to conduct terrorist attacks and mass shootings are the same as those which attract other young men, including Europeans and Americans. This is a global phenomenon &ndash; but it&rsquo;s also true that more perpetrators come from certain places than from others. The question is why.</p>

<p><strong>Hunted abroad</strong></p>

<p>Some countries, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Uzbekistan in particular, have been very good at &ldquo;exporting&rdquo; young men who are susceptible to jihadism due to their experience of repression at home. And this repression can even follow them overseas.</p>

<p>At the University of Exeter, we record Central Asian governments&rsquo; transnational security measures against exiled citizens and opposition groups. Of these states, Uzbekistan is consistently the most likely to pursue its exiles overseas, and particularly its religious exiles. As Alexander Cooley and I discuss in our book Dictators Without Borders, the Uzbek security services informally but extensively collaborate with security services in Russia, where the vast majority of Uzbek migrants are found, and other former Soviet states.</p>

<p>The Uzbek government would say that attacks such as the ones seen this year justify its strategy, but the reverse may be true. Their transnational crackdown on peaceful groups feeds into the jihadist narrative that secularism and Islam are entirely incompatible, as well as subjecting many young men who were not previously attracted to such narratives to harsh, violent repression.</p>

<p>Moreover, despite Uzbekistan&rsquo;s appalling human rights record, some Western democracies continue to provide limited security co-operation, particularly the US. These measures too can help fuel jihadist thinking. Had the US government made an explicit policy decision many years ago not to work with the Karimov government on counter-terrorism because that government was making the situation worse, it would have undercut some of the violent, radical narratives that may draw in a figure such as Saipov.</p>

<p>The Trump administration&rsquo;s knee-jerk anti-immigration response to the Saipov attack risks exacerbating this problem, and once again affirms jihadist images of the West. Migration should be recognised as a given and a good, and not least as part of the foundation of the US itself; simply shutting it down cannot be sound policy, and it won&rsquo;t help to reduce risks elsewhere. Instead, Western governments need to push back against repressive counter-terrorism policies among the states who have &ldquo;exported&rdquo; the perpetrators of violent acts &ndash; and they must be prepared to withdraw their support from those dangerous governments who&rsquo;ve come to depend on it.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-uzbekistans-repressive-government-helped-radicalise-its-emigrants-and-exiles-86887" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.</p>

<p>Image Credit: EPA</p>


The repressive counter-terrorism policies of states, such as Uzbekistan are pushing many of its emigrants to paths of extremism.

The Halloween terrorist attack in New York by Sayfullo Saipov has ignited a debate in social media between scholars of Central Asia on why there is an apparently increasing number of such attacks by Uzbeks. The New York atrocity follows similar events in Istanbul, St Petersburg and Stockholm. Four very prominent attacks within ten months give an impression and suggest a trend. Certain questions naturally arise. Why so many Uzbeks? Does this simply reflect the high number of emigrants, or is it a matter of specific recruitment networks within their migrant communities? Does the combination of a more repressive environment at home with a more open environment in countries of destination matter? Maybe it’s specific histories of conflict between certain groups and the government in Tashkent? Or, perhaps, it’s a backlash against the foreign allies of Uzbekistan? For most of these questions, only partial answers are available – but certain things can be said. The error repeatedly made across the media is to look for explanations in Uzbekistan itself, but this isn’t about radicalisation in Uzbekistan. There are very few terrorist attacks in Uzbekistan itself, only ten out of 85,000 global incidents recorded from 2001-2016. The much-cited Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan left the country almost two decades ago, hasn’t committed an attack there since 2004, and now fights in remnants in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the attackers perpetrating the incidents above left Uzbekistan many years before the attacks and were “radicalised” after leaving. Clearly, the real explanations lie elsewhere. Getting out This is why migration matters, as it does on almost every question with regard to contemporary Central Asia. Uzbekistan has easily the largest population in Central Asia, with more than 30m citizens. Over the last 20 years, several million Uzbeks have left their home country in search of a better life abroad. In this sense, the millions of Uzbeks are part of a wider trend of predominantly young men migrating overseas. For many of them, this is a tremendous opportunity; most are assets to their new home countries. But a tiny minority fall prey to radicalisation and violence. In a social media debate with other Central Asia specialists, Sarah Kendzior, a journalist and anthropologist of Uzbekistan, argued: I think the big error that people are making is that this is an ‘Uzbek problem’ instead of a ‘alienated man abroad susceptible to the influence of terrorist propaganda and recruitment efforts’ problem. It makes far more sense to examine the three Uzbek cases within this broader category of men. Then there’s the question of recruitment mechanisms among migrants. Sergei Abashin, the Russian anthropologist, has drawn attention to how the sheer extent of Uzbek migrant networks makes them an attractive target for militant groups who offer them meaning in militant religion. Uzbek author and journalist Hamid Ismailov concur; in a Facebook response to the Saipov attack, he recalled a passage from his 2014 novel where he linked the emergence of international Uzbek jihadist networks to the battle between two very violent political institutions: the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the government of Uzbekistan. Also relevant are specific security governance measures and patterns. Kendzior is correct that the things that attract Central Asians to conduct terrorist attacks and mass shootings are the same as those which attract other young men, including Europeans and Americans. This is a global phenomenon – but it’s also true that more perpetrators come from certain places than from others. The question is why. Hunted abroad Some countries, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Uzbekistan in particular, have been very good at “exporting” young men who are susceptible to jihadism due to their experience of repression at home. And this repression can even follow them overseas. At the University of Exeter, we record Central Asian governments’ transnational security measures against exiled citizens and opposition groups. Of these states, Uzbekistan is consistently the most likely to pursue its exiles overseas, and particularly its religious exiles. As Alexander Cooley and I discuss in our book Dictators Without Borders, the Uzbek security services informally but extensively collaborate with security services in Russia, where the vast majority of Uzbek migrants are found, and other former Soviet states. The Uzbek government would say that attacks such as the ones seen this year justify its strategy, but the reverse may be true. Their transnational crackdown on peaceful groups feeds into the jihadist narrative that secularism and Islam are entirely incompatible, as well as subjecting many young men who were not previously attracted to such narratives to harsh, violent repression. Moreover, despite Uzbekistan’s appalling human rights record, some Western democracies continue to provide limited security co-operation, particularly the US. These measures too can help fuel jihadist thinking. Had the US government made an explicit policy decision many years ago not to work with the Karimov government on counter-terrorism because that government was making the situation worse, it would have undercut some of the violent, radical narratives that may draw in a figure such as Saipov. The Trump administration’s knee-jerk anti-immigration response to the Saipov attack risks exacerbating this problem, and once again affirms jihadist images of the West. Migration should be recognised as a given and a good, and not least as part of the foundation of the US itself; simply shutting it down cannot be sound policy, and it won’t help to reduce risks elsewhere. Instead, Western governments need to push back against repressive counter-terrorism policies among the states who have “exported” the perpetrators of violent acts – and they must be prepared to withdraw their support from those dangerous governments who’ve come to depend on it. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. Image Credit: EPA

Why Uzbeks are turning into jihadis

<p>Another day, another extremist attack, so what else is new? Recently it was in New York, a couple of weeks ago it was in Las Vegas, before that in London, and before that in Paris and so the list goes on and on. We could just as easily be referring to the seasonal Fashion Week held in these international hubs of design instead of the far grimmer subject of &lsquo;lone wolf&rsquo; attacks and terrorism.</p>

<p>Israel for example, despite its outstanding intelligence and security services, apart from a pro-active and robust approach to counter-terror policy and actions, reportedly faces at least one lone wolf attack a month.</p>

<p>The attackers themselves too span the globe. The New York attacker is of Uzbek origin, while we have had Afghans, Pakistanis, Libyans, Algerians, Palestinians and a host of other nationalities involved as well. If there is one thing in common amongst them, it is that they are homegrown, that is citizens of the country attacked, and in most cases followers of radical Islam.</p>

<p>Also, does the present attack by an Uzbek imply that Uzbekistan and probably Central Asia is the new focus of radical Islam? &nbsp;While one attack is hardly evidence of such a trend, it is worth recalling that Central Asia has been the focus of radical Islam for years. It is now a forgotten footnote of history that the erstwhile Soviet Union used the Red Army to suppress the Basmachi Movement, the Islamic Rebel Groups in Central Asia, in the 1920&rsquo;s.</p>

<p>Interestingly, documentation now available in the public domain suggests that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was in response to attempts to radicalise the population in Central Asia, though ironically the Americans got this completely wrong and gave it a massive boost instead, something they have been forced to confront over the past two decades.</p>

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<h5>The very individualistic nature of such attacks ensures that their planning and preparation remain very low-key, and therefore, extremely difficult for the intelligence and security apparatus to pick up or prevent.</h5>
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<p>The primary difference between lone wolf attackers and those belonging to terrorist groups, as we have all learnt over time, is that while they may be adherents of radical ideologies, they operate either alone or at best with an accomplice or two and are devoid of any support, logistic, intelligence or operational from any terrorist organisation.</p>

<p>This obviously limits the damage they can actually cause though, as we recently witnessed at Las Vegas, easy availability of high calibre weapons can tragically result in utter devastation. However, the very individualistic nature of such attacks ensures that their planning and preparation remain very low-key, and therefore, extremely difficult for the intelligence and security apparatus to pick up or prevent. The evolving nature of this threat makes existing counter - terror architecture and processes incapable of combating such threats effectively.</p>

<p>It is nobody&rsquo;s case that counter-terror intervention groups, such as the Special Action Groups of the NSG, have become redundant because it is impossible to foresee what tactics terrorists may employ in the future. Thus, hostage rescue and building/aircraft/train/ship intervention continue to be essential tasks for which specialised units must be kept trained and ready.</p>

<p>What however is emerging as absolutely essential to deal with lone wolf attacks is the necessity to reinforce beat cops and armed policemen with highly trained officers, both in and out of uniform, suitably equipped to respond instantaneously to ongoing situations. In this respect, the United Kingdom has been pro-active in establishing a high-level Counter-Terrorism Committee that is responsible for formulating the national Counter Terrorism and Domestic Extremism strategy.</p>

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<h5>It is a shameful, but unquestionable fact that India&#39;s counter-terrorism architecture is not much better than it was at the time of the Mumbai attacks, where it failed miserably.</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

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<p>Also, through its National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters it coordinates and controls specialised investigative and immediate intervention units, the CTC and CTU&rsquo;s. All of this backed by an effective database. It is no wonder then that the three attackers involved in the London Bridge terror incident in June this year were neutralised within eight minutes.</p>

<p>Though we in this country have not been subjected to lone wolf attacks, the reason for which needs to be analysed in depth, there is little doubt that we need to put in place systems to be able to deal with such a threat. It is, in fact, utter criminal negligence on the part of our political class that has led to the stalling of the establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) projects.</p>

<p>It is a shameful, but unquestionable fact that our counter-terrorism architecture is not much better than it was at the time of the Mumbai attacks, where it failed miserably. It is high time that our political and security establishment get a move on and do what they are paid for, resignations and bluster after the event means little.</p>


Security establishment of India needs to work on and develop a better counter-terrorism architecture to track and avoid terrorist attacks

Another day, another extremist attack, so what else is new? Recently it was in New York, a couple of weeks ago it was in Las Vegas, before that in London, and before that in Paris and so the list goes on and on. We could just as easily be referring to the seasonal Fashion Week held in these international hubs of design instead of the far grimmer subject of ‘lone wolf’ attacks and terrorism. Israel for example, despite its outstanding intelligence and security services, apart from a pro-active and robust approach to counter-terror policy and actions, reportedly faces at least one lone wolf attack a month. The attackers themselves too span the globe. The New York attacker is of Uzbek origin, while we have had Afghans, Pakistanis, Libyans, Algerians, Palestinians and a host of other nationalities involved as well. If there is one thing in common amongst them, it is that they are homegrown, that is citizens of the country attacked, and in most cases followers of radical Islam. Also, does the present attack by an Uzbek imply that Uzbekistan and probably Central Asia is the new focus of radical Islam? While one attack is hardly evidence of such a trend, it is worth recalling that Central Asia has been the focus of radical Islam for years. It is now a forgotten footnote of history that the erstwhile Soviet Union used the Red Army to suppress the Basmachi Movement, the Islamic Rebel Groups in Central Asia, in the 1920’s. Interestingly, documentation now available in the public domain suggests that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was in response to attempts to radicalise the population in Central Asia, though ironically the Americans got this completely wrong and gave it a massive boost instead, something they have been forced to confront over the past two decades. The very individualistic nature of such attacks ensures that their planning and preparation remain very low-key, and therefore, extremely difficult for the intelligence and security apparatus to pick up or prevent. × The primary difference between lone wolf attackers and those belonging to terrorist groups, as we have all learnt over time, is that while they may be adherents of radical ideologies, they operate either alone or at best with an accomplice or two and are devoid of any support, logistic, intelligence or operational from any terrorist organisation. This obviously limits the damage they can actually cause though, as we recently witnessed at Las Vegas, easy availability of high calibre weapons can tragically result in utter devastation. However, the very individualistic nature of such attacks ensures that their planning and preparation remain very low-key, and therefore, extremely difficult for the intelligence and security apparatus to pick up or prevent. The evolving nature of this threat makes existing counter - terror architecture and processes incapable of combating such threats effectively. It is nobody’s case that counter-terror intervention groups, such as the Special Action Groups of the NSG, have become redundant because it is impossible to foresee what tactics terrorists may employ in the future. Thus, hostage rescue and building/aircraft/train/ship intervention continue to be essential tasks for which specialised units must be kept trained and ready. What however is emerging as absolutely essential to deal with lone wolf attacks is the necessity to reinforce beat cops and armed policemen with highly trained officers, both in and out of uniform, suitably equipped to respond instantaneously to ongoing situations. In this respect, the United Kingdom has been pro-active in establishing a high-level Counter-Terrorism Committee that is responsible for formulating the national Counter Terrorism and Domestic Extremism strategy. It is a shameful, but unquestionable fact that India's counter-terrorism architecture is not much better than it was at the time of the Mumbai attacks, where it failed miserably. × Also, through its National Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters it coordinates and controls specialised investigative and immediate intervention units, the CTC and CTU’s. All of this backed by an effective database. It is no wonder then that the three attackers involved in the London Bridge terror incident in June this year were neutralised within eight minutes. Though we in this country have not been subjected to lone wolf attacks, the reason for which needs to be analysed in depth, there is little doubt that we need to put in place systems to be able to deal with such a threat. It is, in fact, utter criminal negligence on the part of our political class that has led to the stalling of the establishment of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID) projects. It is a shameful, but unquestionable fact that our counter-terrorism architecture is not much better than it was at the time of the Mumbai attacks, where it failed miserably. It is high time that our political and security establishment get a move on and do what they are paid for, resignations and bluster after the event means little.

The New York terror attack calls for a changed counter-terror response

<p>New York is an intrepid city. One can&#39;t but fall in love with it. I for that matter was in complete awe. Having lived and worked there for years, I would marvel at the city&#39;s capacity to absorb the most myriad group of ethnic communities across the world. The heinous 9/11 attack did leave its scar on the city but failed to daunt its spirit. While rest of the US has become suspicious of foreigners in different degrees, NYC continues to live up to the unmatched standard of its own cosmopolitanism. An unusual mix of people, culture and religion.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy, and we will not be deterred. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYCstrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYCstrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/2antds3185">pic.twitter.com/2antds3185</a></p>
&mdash; Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/925520087670493184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">New York&#39;s resilience is stronger than a cowardly act of terror. Thinking of the victims, their families, &amp; the responders who saved lives.</p>
&mdash; Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) <a href="https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/925515496576962562?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>No person, no group, no community own NYC. The city belongs to all New Yorkers. And who is a New Yorker? Anyone who lives there, works in the city, share the city&#39;s spirit. You don&#39;t have to be particularly white, a Jew or an American citizen to be a New Yorker. The city will embrace you. Slowly, with time, as you gain your foothold in that behemoth metropolis, if you start feeling comfortable with its peculiar ebb and flow of life, the city will suck you in. The people make New York City what it is. Not the buildings, shops, the cars or the affluence.</p>

<p>&quot;New York is very much like the movies&quot;, the Algerian-French couple pointed out to me as the sun set over the white desert, close to Jordan&#39;s border with Saudi Arabia. I agreed in politeness. But the city, in reality, is stranger than celluloid fiction.</p>

<p>In the real world, Italy may have very little to do with China; there could possibly be no overlaps between the languages, cultures, food types of the two countries but just across Mulberry Street, Little Italy and China Town co-exist. How do the residents of two blocs communicate? I have no idea. Do they fight each other? No.</p>

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<h5>Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it.</h5>
</blockquote>
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<p>This coexistence evident all over the city is not a doing of NYPD alone. Over years, the city has learned to live an eclectic life, slowing growing out of its more violent past. It respects stability but is not hankering for homogeneity. While one can decide to stick to one&#39;s culture and language, religion and dress, there is always the possibility of getting enriched by others who are very different. Different but no less.</p>

<p>Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. The City is a bundle of contradictions.</p>

<p>Yesterday&#39;s terrorist attack was a brutal blow to this richness of life, mauling to the ground the values the City stands for. Not only have we lost eight precious lives; we have jeopardised a spirit which is hard to find nowadays because there is so much hate, jingoism, and intolerance.</p>

<p>Let us for a moment not get into the number game by saying, oh, only eight died. I agree many more die in the war zones of West Asia every day. But we cannot for sake of humanity compare lives with lives. Every life lost is a loss. Let us condemn it.</p>

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<h5>How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US?</h5>
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<p><strong>Also watch:</strong>&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/school-bus-with-children-inside-hit-in-new-york-attack-6467"><strong>School bus with children inside hit in New York attack</strong></a></p>

<p>The mindless terror that motivated the assassin appals me. No for god&#39;s sake don&#39;t try to convince me of the ideological underpinning of the act. It had none. It was not even prompted by an empathy for a cause. The terrorist decided to strike at the hub of New York&#39;s tourist destination. It is very much a civilian space too. It is a stone throw away from Wall Trade Center, Wall Street, Anne Frank Museum. Millions of commuter included me, travelled through that locality every day. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US?</p>

<p>In his mindless rage, what the assassin might have missed is that such actions make the US an even more paranoid country. The current president is already hellbent to stop immigration with his exclusionary ideology that has little regard for the New York spirit. This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation. It is already evident from Twitter posts how hate is flowing fast and thick</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Stop letting these animals in the country!</p>
&mdash; Jose Guitian Cicero (@omgitzjose) <a href="https://twitter.com/omgitzjose/status/925589998312751104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Start deportations, entire families. Investigate all their neighbors.<br />
Ppl start paying attention who TFK lives next door! +Fk protesters!!!</p>
&mdash; ?NdRE (@cruztomahawk) <a href="https://twitter.com/cruztomahawk/status/925597499502616577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">There will be no freedom when those terrorists will kill us all??</p>
&mdash; Bina Arington (@Baring5225) <a href="https://twitter.com/Baring5225/status/925592483777593344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>My only plea today is if you wish to fight hegemony, violence, hatred, then think carefully and resist strategically. Killing innocent lives does not help whatever cause you are fighting for, it does not defeat your mighty opponent and, the worst is, you only help to bolster jingoistic responses. More importantly, you end up killing a spirit which you may actually want to champion, at least for the sake of a more tolerant world.</p>


This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation.

New York is an intrepid city. One can't but fall in love with it. I for that matter was in complete awe. Having lived and worked there for years, I would marvel at the city's capacity to absorb the most myriad group of ethnic communities across the world. The heinous 9/11 attack did leave its scar on the city but failed to daunt its spirit. While rest of the US has become suspicious of foreigners in different degrees, NYC continues to live up to the unmatched standard of its own cosmopolitanism. An unusual mix of people, culture and religion. New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy, and we will not be deterred. #NYCstrong pic.twitter.com/2antds3185 — Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) November 1, 2017 × New York's resilience is stronger than a cowardly act of terror. Thinking of the victims, their families, & the responders who saved lives. — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2017 × No person, no group, no community own NYC. The city belongs to all New Yorkers. And who is a New Yorker? Anyone who lives there, works in the city, share the city's spirit. You don't have to be particularly white, a Jew or an American citizen to be a New Yorker. The city will embrace you. Slowly, with time, as you gain your foothold in that behemoth metropolis, if you start feeling comfortable with its peculiar ebb and flow of life, the city will suck you in. The people make New York City what it is. Not the buildings, shops, the cars or the affluence. "New York is very much like the movies", the Algerian-French couple pointed out to me as the sun set over the white desert, close to Jordan's border with Saudi Arabia. I agreed in politeness. But the city, in reality, is stranger than celluloid fiction. In the real world, Italy may have very little to do with China; there could possibly be no overlaps between the languages, cultures, food types of the two countries but just across Mulberry Street, Little Italy and China Town co-exist. How do the residents of two blocs communicate? I have no idea. Do they fight each other? No. Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. × This coexistence evident all over the city is not a doing of NYPD alone. Over years, the city has learned to live an eclectic life, slowing growing out of its more violent past. It respects stability but is not hankering for homogeneity. While one can decide to stick to one's culture and language, religion and dress, there is always the possibility of getting enriched by others who are very different. Different but no less. Life in the City is a rich tapestry of diverse colours, designs and motifs. And that is what makes it unique. You cannot essentialise it, reduce it, box it, or simplify it. The City is a bundle of contradictions. Yesterday's terrorist attack was a brutal blow to this richness of life, mauling to the ground the values the City stands for. Not only have we lost eight precious lives; we have jeopardised a spirit which is hard to find nowadays because there is so much hate, jingoism, and intolerance. Let us for a moment not get into the number game by saying, oh, only eight died. I agree many more die in the war zones of West Asia every day. But we cannot for sake of humanity compare lives with lives. Every life lost is a loss. Let us condemn it. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US? × Also watch: School bus with children inside hit in New York attack The mindless terror that motivated the assassin appals me. No for god's sake don't try to convince me of the ideological underpinning of the act. It had none. It was not even prompted by an empathy for a cause. The terrorist decided to strike at the hub of New York's tourist destination. It is very much a civilian space too. It is a stone throw away from Wall Trade Center, Wall Street, Anne Frank Museum. Millions of commuter included me, travelled through that locality every day. How is killing these people, most of whom are tourists and immigrants, help to maul the military might of the US? In his mindless rage, what the assassin might have missed is that such actions make the US an even more paranoid country. The current president is already hellbent to stop immigration with his exclusionary ideology that has little regard for the New York spirit. This attack will give Donald Trump one more and a very big excuse to close the doors and come down hard on other countries whose citizens he is keen on relegating to lives of eternal damnation. It is already evident from Twitter posts how hate is flowing fast and thick Stop letting these animals in the country! — Jose Guitian Cicero (@omgitzjose) November 1, 2017 × Start deportations, entire families. Investigate all their neighbors. Ppl start paying attention who TFK lives next door! +Fk protesters!!! — ?NdRE (@cruztomahawk) November 1, 2017 × There will be no freedom when those terrorists will kill us all?? — Bina Arington (@Baring5225) November 1, 2017 × My only plea today is if you wish to fight hegemony, violence, hatred, then think carefully and resist strategically. Killing innocent lives does not help whatever cause you are fighting for, it does not defeat your mighty opponent and, the worst is, you only help to bolster jingoistic responses. More importantly, you end up killing a spirit which you may actually want to champion, at least for the sake of a more tolerant world.

Terror attacks on NYC will bolster jingoism in the US

<p>Uzbekistan told US&nbsp;President Donald Trump on Wednesday it was ready to do everything it could to help investigate an attack in New York in which an Uzbek-born man is suspected of killing eight people by mowing them down in a truck.</p>

<p>Uzbekistan spoke out after a US&nbsp;law enforcement official described the suspect as a US&nbsp;immigrant born in Uzbekistan, a landlocked, predominantly Muslim country in Central Asia that was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991</p>

<p>Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the offer of help in a letter of condolence to Trump in which he condemned the attack as &quot;extremely brutal&quot; and said there could be no justification for such violence.</p>

<p>&quot;From our side, we are ready to use all our power and resources to cooperate in the investigation of this terrorist act,&quot; Mirziyoyev wrote in the letter, which was posted on his country&#39;s Foreign Ministry&#39;s website.</p>

<p>&quot;We express our solidarity with the US&nbsp;people.&quot;</p>

<p>The attack - the bloodiest single attack on New Yorkers since Sept. 11, 2001, when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center-&nbsp;is a challenge for Mirziyoyev who assumed office at the end of 2016 and is trying to slowly open up his country after decades of authoritarian rule.</p>

<p>It also shines an uncomfortable light on Islamist militancy in the wider region which has supplied Islamic State in Syria and Iraq with thousands of fighters.</p>

<p>An Uzbek Foreign Ministry official told reporters earlier on Wednesday it was investigating reports that the attacker was a citizen of the Central Asian nation.</p>

<p>If the attacker&#39;s identity is confirmed, it would be the fourth deadly attack to be carried out by an Uzbek national or ethnic Uzbek this year.</p>

<p>On New Year&#39;s day, an Uzbek gunman burst into a nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul and killed 39 people.</p>

<p>In April, an ethnic Uzbek man born in Kyrgyzstan blew up a metro train in the Russian city of St Petersburg, killing at least 14 people, and that same month an Uzbek man rammed a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people.</p>

<p>All the attacks were linked to or claimed by Islamic State.</p>

<p><strong>&quot;NOT VERY POPULAR&quot;</strong></p>

<p>US&nbsp;police declined to publicly identify the man, but a source familiar with the investigation said his name was Sayfullo Saipov, 29.</p>

<p>CNN and other US media said Saipov had left a note saying he carried out the attack in the name of Islamic State and that he had shouted &quot;Allahu Akbar&quot; - Arabic for &quot;God is greatest&quot; - when he jumped out of his truck.</p>

<p>He had emigrated to the United States in 2010 and lived in Florida, other US&nbsp;media reported.</p>

<p>An acquaintance of Saipov told Reuters he had originally come from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan.</p>

<p>Mirrakhmat Muminov, a truck driver and Uzbek community activist who lives in Stow, Ohio, told sources by phone that he knew Saipov and had spoken to him in recent months.</p>

<p>He said Saipov had lived in Stow two or three years ago, that they had met through the local Uzbek community, and that Saipov had also worked there as a truck driver.</p>

<p>Muminov said he had heard about the attack from members of the local Uzbek community, some of whom he said were getting ready to be questioned by the authorities.</p>

<p>He said he had no first-hand information about whether Saipov had carried out the attack.</p>

<p>&ldquo;He was spontaneously religious,&quot; said Muminov. &quot;He started studying religion in the United States,&quot; something he said it was hard to do in Uzbekistan where study of Islam is tightly controlled.</p>

<p>Muminov painted a picture of a man who was struggling to make it in the United States, had few friends, and poor communication and English language skills.</p>

<p>&quot;He was withdrawn, nervous, sometimes aggressive. Because of that he was lonely, he lived in his own world. He was not very popular,&rdquo; said Muminov.</p>

<p>&quot;I heard that his third son was born a couple months ago.&rdquo;</p>


Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the offer of help in a letter of condolence to Trump.

Uzbekistan told US President Donald Trump on Wednesday it was ready to do everything it could to help investigate an attack in New York in which an Uzbek-born man is suspected of killing eight people by mowing them down in a truck. Uzbekistan spoke out after a US law enforcement official described the suspect as a US immigrant born in Uzbekistan, a landlocked, predominantly Muslim country in Central Asia that was part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991 Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev made the offer of help in a letter of condolence to Trump in which he condemned the attack as "extremely brutal" and said there could be no justification for such violence. "From our side, we are ready to use all our power and resources to cooperate in the investigation of this terrorist act," Mirziyoyev wrote in the letter, which was posted on his country's Foreign Ministry's website. "We express our solidarity with the US people." The attack - the bloodiest single attack on New Yorkers since Sept. 11, 2001, when suicide hijackers crashed two jetliners into the World Trade Center- is a challenge for Mirziyoyev who assumed office at the end of 2016 and is trying to slowly open up his country after decades of authoritarian rule. It also shines an uncomfortable light on Islamist militancy in the wider region which has supplied Islamic State in Syria and Iraq with thousands of fighters. An Uzbek Foreign Ministry official told reporters earlier on Wednesday it was investigating reports that the attacker was a citizen of the Central Asian nation. If the attacker's identity is confirmed, it would be the fourth deadly attack to be carried out by an Uzbek national or ethnic Uzbek this year. On New Year's day, an Uzbek gunman burst into a nightclub in the Turkish city of Istanbul and killed 39 people. In April, an ethnic Uzbek man born in Kyrgyzstan blew up a metro train in the Russian city of St Petersburg, killing at least 14 people, and that same month an Uzbek man rammed a truck into a crowd in Stockholm, killing four people. All the attacks were linked to or claimed by Islamic State. "NOT VERY POPULAR" US police declined to publicly identify the man, but a source familiar with the investigation said his name was Sayfullo Saipov, 29. CNN and other US media said Saipov had left a note saying he carried out the attack in the name of Islamic State and that he had shouted "Allahu Akbar" - Arabic for "God is greatest" - when he jumped out of his truck. He had emigrated to the United States in 2010 and lived in Florida, other US media reported. An acquaintance of Saipov told Reuters he had originally come from Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. Mirrakhmat Muminov, a truck driver and Uzbek community activist who lives in Stow, Ohio, told sources by phone that he knew Saipov and had spoken to him in recent months. He said Saipov had lived in Stow two or three years ago, that they had met through the local Uzbek community, and that Saipov had also worked there as a truck driver. Muminov said he had heard about the attack from members of the local Uzbek community, some of whom he said were getting ready to be questioned by the authorities. He said he had no first-hand information about whether Saipov had carried out the attack. “He was spontaneously religious," said Muminov. "He started studying religion in the United States," something he said it was hard to do in Uzbekistan where study of Islam is tightly controlled. Muminov painted a picture of a man who was struggling to make it in the United States, had few friends, and poor communication and English language skills. "He was withdrawn, nervous, sometimes aggressive. Because of that he was lonely, he lived in his own world. He was not very popular,” said Muminov. "I heard that his third son was born a couple months ago.”

Uzbekistan tells Trump it is ready to help investigate New York attack

President of the ex-Soviet Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, six days after he was hospitalised for a suspected brain haemorrhage, officals confirmed on Friday.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&quot;He has left us,&quot; Karimov&#39;s younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva wrote on Instagram. &quot;God bless him.&quot;<br />
Karmikov, 78, ruled Uzbekistan as one of the most repressive regimes for 27 years.<br />
<br />
He was served as the head of the local Communist Party in 1989 and then as president of the newly independent republic from 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.<br />
<br />
Karmikov did not designate any political successor. Central Asia analysts have named Mirziyoyev, former regional governor, as a possible heir.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Some senior officials and family members are likely to decide the transition of power. Prolonged lack of a leader could destablise the majority Muslim state that shares a border with Afghanistan and has become a target for Islamist militants.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
If they fail to agree on a compromise, however, open confrontation could destabilise the mainly Muslim state of 32 million people, which shares a border with Afghanistan and has become a target for Islamist militants.<br />
<br />
The authoritarian leader will be buried in his home city of Samarkand on Saturday. Three days of mourning will be observed.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to acting President Nigmatilla Yuldoshev. The Kremlin quoted Putin as saying his death was a &quot;heavy loss for Uzbekistan&quot;.<br />
<br />
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The authoritarian leader was hospitalised six days ago with a suspected brain haemorrhage

President of the ex-Soviet Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, six days after he was hospitalised for a suspected brain haemorrhage, officals confirmed on Friday. "He has left us," Karimov's younger daughter Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva wrote on Instagram. "God bless him." Karmikov, 78, ruled Uzbekistan as one of the most repressive regimes for 27 years. He was served as the head of the local Communist Party in 1989 and then as president of the newly independent republic from 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Karmikov did not designate any political successor. Central Asia analysts have named Mirziyoyev, former regional governor, as a possible heir. Some senior officials and family members are likely to decide the transition of power. Prolonged lack of a leader could destablise the majority Muslim state that shares a border with Afghanistan and has become a target for Islamist militants. If they fail to agree on a compromise, however, open confrontation could destabilise the mainly Muslim state of 32 million people, which shares a border with Afghanistan and has become a target for Islamist militants. The authoritarian leader will be buried in his home city of Samarkand on Saturday. Three days of mourning will be observed. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to acting President Nigmatilla Yuldoshev. The Kremlin quoted Putin as saying his death was a "heavy loss for Uzbekistan". (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov dies after 25 years in power

<p>Ailing Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov has passed away, according to Turkish Prime Minister&nbsp;Binali Yildirim.<br />
<br />
Uzbek authorities&nbsp;have yet to confirm the news.<br />
<br />
&quot;Uzbek&nbsp;President Islam Karimov has died. May Allah rest him in peace,&quot; Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said.<br />
<br />
Afghan and Kyrgyz diplomats also said their country&#39;s&nbsp;leaders would attend the 78-year-old&#39;s funeral.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Karimov, who has been the president of Uzbekistan since 1990,&nbsp;was admitted to a hospital last Sunday after he suffered a stroke, Uzbek officials said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Karimov&#39;s death has not left behind any successor. The decision to appoint the next president would be taken by a small group of top Uzbek officials, Reuters reported.<br />
<br />
The West has always accused Karimov of governing the country with an iron fist.<br />
<br />
His supporters, however, insist that he had to do it to stave off presence of radical forces in the Muslim-dominated country.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from agencies)<br />
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Mystery shrouds his death as Uzbek authorities are yet to confirm the news

Ailing Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov has passed away, according to Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim. Uzbek authorities have yet to confirm the news. "Uzbek President Islam Karimov has died. May Allah rest him in peace," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said. Afghan and Kyrgyz diplomats also said their country's leaders would attend the 78-year-old's funeral. Karimov, who has been the president of Uzbekistan since 1990, was admitted to a hospital last Sunday after he suffered a stroke, Uzbek officials said. Karimov's death has not left behind any successor. The decision to appoint the next president would be taken by a small group of top Uzbek officials, Reuters reported. The West has always accused Karimov of governing the country with an iron fist. His supporters, however, insist that he had to do it to stave off presence of radical forces in the Muslim-dominated country. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Uzbek President Karimov has died: Turkish PM

Weightlifter Ruslan Nurudinov, known as the &quot;Pride of Uzbekistan&quot;, struck gold in the men`s 105kg class with an Olympic record at the Rio Games on Monday.<br />
<br />
The 24-year-old raised a combined total of 431kg above his head to win by a massive 14kg over 19-year-old silver medallist Simon Martirosyan of Armenia.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Kazakhstan`s Alexandr Zaichikov, who served a doping ban from 2013 to 2015, claimed bronze with 416.<br />
<br />
Nurudinov, who already had gold assured, lifted 237kg in the clean and jerk to set a new Olympic record.<br />
<br />
Afterwards he sank to his knees, roared and burst into tears.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
He then ran a lap of the platform waving an Uzbek flag as the crowd stood and cheered.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(AFP)

'Pride of Uzbekistan' won by a massive 14kg over silver medalist Martirosyan of Armenia in 105kg weightlifting event

Weightlifter Ruslan Nurudinov, known as the "Pride of Uzbekistan", struck gold in the men`s 105kg class with an Olympic record at the Rio Games on Monday. The 24-year-old raised a combined total of 431kg above his head to win by a massive 14kg over 19-year-old silver medallist Simon Martirosyan of Armenia. Kazakhstan`s Alexandr Zaichikov, who served a doping ban from 2013 to 2015, claimed bronze with 416. Nurudinov, who already had gold assured, lifted 237kg in the clean and jerk to set a new Olympic record. Afterwards he sank to his knees, roared and burst into tears. He then ran a lap of the platform waving an Uzbek flag as the crowd stood and cheered. (AFP)

Rio Olympics 2016: Nurudinov's heavy lifting cleans up Games record en route to gold

A bomb in a crowded in market in the north Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Tuesday killed at least two people and wounded 15, police officials said.<br />
<br />
Mazar-i-Sharif, an important commercial centre near the border with Uzbekistan, has generally been spared the violence unleashed by insurgent groups battling the NATO-backed government in Kabul.<br />
<br />
The attack on Tuesday was carried out by a suicide bomber, said police commander Baba Jan.<br />
<br />
&quot;The bomber detonated his explosives in the main market and all the victims are civilians,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
The Ministry of Interior, however, reported that a bomb had been hidden in a cart.<br />
<br />
In February, three people were killed in an attack on a bus carrying military personnel not far from Mazar-i-Sharif, and in January, militants attacked the Indian consulate in the city.<br />
<br />
(Reuters)

Mazar-i-Sharif has generally been spared the violence unleashed by insurgent groups battling the NATO-backed government in Kabul

A bomb in a crowded in market in the north Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif on Tuesday killed at least two people and wounded 15, police officials said. Mazar-i-Sharif, an important commercial centre near the border with Uzbekistan, has generally been spared the violence unleashed by insurgent groups battling the NATO-backed government in Kabul. The attack on Tuesday was carried out by a suicide bomber, said police commander Baba Jan. "The bomber detonated his explosives in the main market and all the victims are civilians," he said. The Ministry of Interior, however, reported that a bomb had been hidden in a cart. In February, three people were killed in an attack on a bus carrying military personnel not far from Mazar-i-Sharif, and in January, militants attacked the Indian consulate in the city. (Reuters)

Bomb goes off in crowded city market in Afghanistan, two killed, 15 injured

uzbekistan

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