WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States said that terrorist attacks against US interests in Uzbekistan may be imminent and warned American citizens in the country "to exercise extreme caution."
"The United States government has received information that terrorist groups may be planning attacks against US interests in Uzbekistan in the near future," the State Department said in a statement.
"We remind all Americans that terrorists do not distinguish between official and civilian targets," it said.
"The Department of State urges Americans in Uzbekistan to exercise extreme caution, including avoiding large crowds, celebrations, and places where Westerners generally congregate," it said.
The statement was issued a day after the US embassy in Tashkent issued an apparently unrelated warning to Americans alerting them to the possibility of violent protests at Uzbek shopping centers against new restrictions on the sale of imported goods.
Thursday's warning noted that a number of suicide bombings had occurred in Uzbekistan in June, including outside the US and Israeli embassies and at the prosecutor general's office in the capital.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), among the most radical militant groups in Central Asia and tagged as a foreign terrorist organization, claimed responsibility for the bombings.
In March and April, a string of blasts and police shootouts which featured the nation's first-ever suicide bombings killed at least 33 insurgents, 10 policemen, three children and one bystander.
The statement said supporters of extremist groups such as the IMU, Al-Qaeda, the Islamic Jihad Group, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement continued to remain active in the region.
"These groups have expressed anti-US sentiments and may also attempt to target US government or private interests in Uzbekistan," it said, adding that terrorist groups did not distinguish between official and civilian targets.
It also cautioned that as security was increased at official US facilities, terrorists and their sympathizers sought "softer" targets that may include facilities where Americans and other foreigners congregate or visit, such as residential areas, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, schools and hotels.
The US embassy in Tashkent continues to employ heightened security precautions, the statement said, urging American citizens to report any unusual activity to local authorities and then inform the embassy.
11/05/2004 - 06:45 GMT - AFP