01 Jul 2010 10:26:56 GMT
* Atmosphere of fear, intimidation following ethnic clashes
* Uzbeks say police raids widening and getting more frequent
* Simmering tensions may lead to fresh violence
By Maria Golovnina
OSH, Kyrgyzstan, July 1 (Reuters) - What ethnic Uzbeks fear most in Kyrgyzstan's conflict-torn south is the state troops deployed there to protect them.
Huddled in the charred ruins of what is left of their homes, Uzbeks say that arrests and raids by government troops have become part of their lives in the wake of last month's violence in the volatile Central Asian nation.
"We are not afraid of mobs or looters. We are afraid of the military," said Misiryo Ismanova, as her five-year-old daughter played in the rubble outside the blackened shell of their house.
At least 294 people were killed last month in south Kyrgyzstan as crowds of men, some in uniform, attacked Uzbek neighbourhoods and destroyed an estimated 2,000 houses.
Outright violence may have stopped for now, but tension is still simmering at the epicentre of the fighting -- the ancient Silk Road city of Osh. And many fear violence will erupt again and spread to other parts of Central Asia, an ethnically divided Muslim region north of Afghanistan and Iran.
Uzbeks say that government troops, comprised mainly of ethnic Kyrgyz servicemen, have been systematically cracking down on their communities in past weeks, breaking into compounds, arresting men and seizing jewellery and money.
The allegations have been echoed by local and international human rights organisations and denied by the authorities.
"Everything is done within the law," said Kursan Asanov, the Osh military commandander. "Many write that (Uzbeks) are being beaten up and so forth. That is not true. If we catch anyone doing that we will immediately investigate and prosecute."
About 2,000 servicemen are now deployed in Osh. Servicemen patrol the dusty streets wielding AK-47s, some wearing T-shirts and trainers. The authorities say their mission is to take weapons from civilians, arrest criminals and restore order.
With violence still a threat in a country lying on a major drug trafficking route out of Afghanistan, the government has extended a curfew in Osh and nearby Jalalabad until Aug. 10.
Gunfire still rings out at night despite the curfew, and civilians on both sides are stocking up on firearms in fear of fresh violence, locals said. Nearly all the 100,000 Uzbek refugees have returned, to houses in ruins, no gas and no electricity.
Human rights groups have called for an international probe to determine those responsible for the violence and investigate allegations that Kyrgyz forces took part in the attacks.
"Recent actions by government forces have reinforced the perception in the Uzbek communities that they cannot trust the law enforcement authorities to be objective," U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement last week.
"Many Uzbeks told us they believed security forces either perpetrated the attacks or deliberately turned a blind eye to them. ... Regardless of whether this is true, the result has been a complete breakdown in trust between the Uzbek community and the government," the HRW statement said.
"UZBEKS GET OUT"
In the neighbourhood of Cheryomushki with anti-Uzbek obscenities sprayed on walls in the maze of charred ruins, locals said they tried to register their destroyed property with the authorities to apply for compensation but were turned down.
"They said 'Uzbeks, get out of here'," said Dilbar Burayeva, who, like others, cooks meals on an open fire outside her ruined house. "Everyone wearing a uniform is against us. What have we done? Who will protect us?"
Ilkhom, an Uzbek man, added, "Even now our neighbours say to us 'You started all this. You should've been killed.'"
One man, who asked not to be named, said police had seized $3,000 from his family last week and that several young Uzbek men disappeared after the raid.
"I don't understand what we have done to deserve this," Nargiza, 35, an ethnic Uzbek Russian-language teacher. "Our own government is trying eliminate us."
Nearby, at the monumental Kyrgyz-Uzbek University, the word "Uzbek" has been ripped out from the sign on the facade.
Ethnic Uzbek journalist, Azimzhan Askarov, was arrested while he was gathering evidence of abuses committed during the violence, according to Amnesty International. And an Uzbek community leader was arrested a week ago, accused of links to Islamist rebels.
No prominent arrests or raids have taken place in Kyrgyz communities.
Security forces deny targeting Uzbeks and say their goal is to round up criminals seeking to stir up trouble.
On a recent patrol in Onadyr, an Uzbek village largely untouched by destruction, a call to prayer sounded from a mosque as the police went house to house inspecting premises.
Some disappeared out of sight into their walled compounds as soon as the police arrived. Others froze in the shade of large trees, staring intently as the convoy went past.
Ethnic Kyrgyz have blamed Uzbeks, a wealthier people who see Osh as their historic homeland, for starting the violence, saying some of their houses have also been destroyed.
"They (Uzbeks) have money and weapons," said Aripjan Kokkozov, a Kyrgyz man who helped set up a tent camp for about 500 Kyrgyz refugees outside Osh. "They killed and raped our women. Uzbeks are responsible." (Editing by Louise Ireland)