TASHKENT - President Islam Karimov left Andijan late Friday after overseeing efforts by security forces to reestablish order in the eastern Uzbekistan city following attacks by insurgents there, officials said.
"They're returning to Tashkent," an official in the presidential administration told AFP on condition he not be named.
Karimov rushed to Andijan earlier in the day after unidentified insurgents rampaged through the city, attacking local government buildings including a detention facility where they freed some 2,000 prisoners.
Troops loyal to Karimov fired on protesters who had massed on a square outside the regional government administration building in support of the insurgents and an AFP reporter saw one of the protesters shot dead by the troops and several others wounded.
05/13/2005 18:29 GMT