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Two Americans are among the four foreign cyclists killed over the weekend in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan. A car swerved to reach them, then the badailants jumped out of the vehicle and stabbed the victims. The Tajik government accuses an Islamist party banned from being behind the attack and the Islamic State claims responsibility for it.
The US Embbady in Tajikistan confirmed the attack that occurred in the Danghara district, about 60 miles southeast of Dushanbe. The New York Times describes the area as "a scenic mountain road that has been popular with western cyclists for its spectacular and remote landscapes in an area close to the Afghan border."
The other two cyclists killed in the attack came from Switzerland and the Netherlands, officials said. None of the four were identified immediately. Three other members of the same group survived the attack, including one wounded with a knife, according to the authorities.
"According to multiple sources, on July 29, Tajiks hit seven foreign cyclists with their vehicles and stabbed the cyclists with knives," said the embbady in a statement on its website, adding that there was "no evidence indicating a heightened threat to US citizens."
A purported video of the incident obtained by Radio Free Europe shows the fuzzy image of ################################################# A car crossing a traffic lane, then hitting something – apparently cyclists – at the edge of the opposite lane.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan said it had arrested four people linked to the attackers after reporting on Monday that security forces killed four badailants and detained a fifth [19659008]. in Iran and had plans to flee to neighboring Afghanistan after Sunday's attack. He accused the banned Tajikistani Islamic Renaissance Party (IRPT), who plotted a coup against the government in 2015, to be behind the attack .
However, the Islamic State issued a bulletin Monday describing the attackers. as "soldiers of the Islamic State". In the past, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacks that were later carried out by other groups or individuals not affiliated with the terrorist network.
Tajik police say they found vehicle damaged by car-bicycle collision According to the Associated Press, "Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda told reporters that one of the survivors had knife wounds and the police found knives and firearms with some of the suspects "an attack", and the investigators investigated all possibilities, including a traffic accident, murder and terrorism. "
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