Tajik Rebel Chief Hands in Weapons as Truce Holds

An ex-warlord in Tajikistan blamed for the murder of a regional security chief has laid down his arms, the interior ministry said Monday, as a truce between rebels and the government appeared to hold.

"The chief of an illegal armed group, Tolib Ayombekov, came in (to give up weapons) after long negotiations with the government," said a ministry spokesman.

A tense truce between Islamist rebels and the government was agreed last month following the worst internal unrest the impoverished ex-Soviet Central Asian country has seen in two years.

Ayombekov's brother, driver and two other rebels joined him in voluntarily handing in their weapons to authorities. The rebel chief also called on three other groups of insurgents in the region to lay down their arms, said the ministry.

The tense ceasefire was agreed for the rugged mountain region of Badakhchan near Afghanistan -- home to Islamic rebels and to criminal networks that smuggle drugs and gemstones -- after dozens were killed in clashes there in July.

Tajik security forces poured into Badakhchan to fight militants loyal to Ayombekob, accused of the murder of regional security chief General Abdullo Nazarov who was dragged from his car and stabbed to death.

Amid the truce, a group of fighters handed in dozens of weapons including automatic rifles, machine guns, grenade launchers, pistols and explosives.

Other main rebel groups were resisting calls to voluntarily hand in their weapons, Tajik military sources said last month.

The violence in and around the town of Khorog was the worst internal conflict for two years in the Pamir Mountains region which is still recovering from a 1992-97 civil war.

It pitted up to 200 rebels based on the outskirts of Khorog against more than 3,000 government forces including snipers.

The fighting claimed the lives of 17 security forces, 30 militants and one civilian, said Tajik prosecutors.

Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon said in July that authorities would take all measures to restore order and ensure the militants laid down their arms.