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Fighting reported in Turkmenistan Turkmen violence 'drug related'
(about 9 hours later)
There has been heavy fighting in Turkmenistan between Islamist militants and security forces in the capital, Ashgabat, unconfirmed reports say. Authorities in Turkmenistan say they have "neutralised" a gang of drug traffickers in a security operation overnight in the capital Ashgabat.
Residents told news agencies that at least 20 police officers had died in gun battles on Friday night, and that police were now patrolling the area. The statement contradicted earlier media reports that security forces had been engaged in heavy gun battles with Islamist militants.
Turkmenistan's media did not report on the alleged fighting. Some reports said at least 20 police officers had died in the fighting.
Information is strictly controlled in the oil-rich former Soviet Republic, which is effectively a one-party state. The claims are extremely difficult to confirm, as Turkmenistan is one of the world's most tightly controlled states.
The country is overwhelmingly Muslim but correspondents say Islamist violence is virtually unheard of, as the government has stamped out opposition. 'Sealed off'
The Central Asian nation borders Afghanistan to the east and is a known route for the global heroin trade.
In what analysts said was a rare confirmation of unrest in the ex-Soviet republic, the Turkmen foreign ministry said in a statement that "a criminal group involved in the illegal drug trade" had been "neutralised".
The ministry did not say whether there were any casualties, or if any traffickers had been detained.
Foreign media organisations earlier said that Islamic militants were involved in the fighting, though the ministry made no reference to this.
The neighbourhood where the fighting took place, in Ashgabat's northern suburbs, was sealed off until Sunday morning, an AFP reporter said.