Russia concern over Central Asian extremism

Russia has expressed concern about the spread of Islamist guerrilla movements across Central Asia and warned of the need to increase efforts to improve joint security.

The Russian Defence Minister, Igor Sergeyev, described the situation as difficult and said the latest clashes on Kyrgyz and Uzbek territory were evidence of the far-reaching aspirations of what he called Muslim extremists.

He said the number of armed groups in Uzbekistan had increased and that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was now thought to number more than five thousand men.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service