DUSHANBE, August 8, 2014, Asia-Plus -- Tajikistan’s ministries of interior and defense have denied reports released by some foreign media sources about withdrawal of extra forces from Khorog, the capital of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) as “baseless.”

Faridoun Mahmadaliyev, a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense (MoD), says no extra forces were sent to Gorno Badakhshan after the incident that occurred in Khorog in May this year.  “There is no necessity for sending extra forces to Khorog,” Mahmadaliyev noted.

Jaloliddin Sadriddinov, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, also says that no additional police subunits units were sent to Khorog in May.

“No extra forces were sent to the region, and therefore, there is no necessity for withdrawing them from there,” the spokesmen noted.

On the report that the GBAO local authorities have prohibited military personnel from appearing in public places with guns and in camouflage, Mahmadaliyev and Sadriddinov noted that by president’s decree of 1999 servicemen are prohibited from appearing in public places with guns and in camouflage.

On the report that the situation deteriorated sharply in Khorog after the murder of two local residents, Sadriddinov noted that the situation in Khorog was calm and local residents were providing assistance to law enforcement agencies in investigating the case.

We will recall that Interior Minister Ramazon Rahimzoda has taken the Khorog double murder case under his personal control.

The bodies of two residents of Khorog with bullet wounds were found in Khorog’s Newodak area yesterday morning.  The bodies were reportedly found in Mercedes-Benz 600, having tinted glasses.

The bodies were identified as cousins Sayod Okhonqadamov, 24, from Khorog’s UPD neighborhood and Daler Khoushdilov, 25, from Khorog’s Barkhorog neighborhood.