4 More Die in Soviet Ethnic Rioting in Kirghizia

MOSCOW —  Ethnic rioters burned buildings and attacked a police officer in the Central Asian republic of Kirghizia overnight, leaving four people dead, the Tass news agency said Wednesday.

The latest violence between ethnic Kirghiz and Uzbeks--both Sunni Muslim groups--brought the death toll to 204 since fighting began June 4, the official news agency said.

Meanwhile, ethnic unrest continued along the Armenian-Azerbaijan border in the Caucasus, and Soviet television reported armed bands of Armenians were making forays across the frontier.

At least 200 people have died in two years of ethnic violence in the Caucasus Mountain republics of Azerbaijan, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim, and Armenia, which is predominantly Christian.

Clashes Tuesday night in Osh, Uzgen and other towns in western Kirghizia left about 100 people injured, the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda said. Most of the violence took place in Osh, on the republic’s border with Uzbekistan, and in its suburbs following unsanctioned rallies, Tass said.

“In Osh itself, transport is at a standstill and industrial enterprises and shops are closed,” the news agency said. “Military helicopters are patrolling the city and armored vehicles are posted on crossroads.”

During the night, Tass said, buildings were set ablaze and a police officer was beaten.

According to Tass, the chairman of the Osh regional executive committee and the local police chief were replaced Tuesday by the regional authorities. The officials were not identified.

The violence stems from a land dispute between ethnic Kirghiz and Uzbeks in the densely populated region around Osh, where housing is scarce.

Damage from the unrest has been put at $64 million, Komsomolskaya Pravda said.

A state of emergency is in effect in the Osh region, and reinforcements of police and Interior Ministry troops have been sent to the region to quell the violence.

“Today, many towns and settlements look like small military fortresses,” Komsomolskaya Pravda said.