PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today,
Kyrgyz Republic
October 22, 2004
This Public Announcement is being issued to remind U.S. citizens of the security situation in the Kyrgyz Republic. Extremist groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), a terrorist organization with links to al-Qaida, may be planning terrorist acts targeting U.S. Government facilities, Americans or American interests in the Kyrgyz Republic. This supersedes the Public Announcement of April 27, 2004, and expires on April 30, 2005.
U.S. citizens are urged to consider their safety and security before traveling to the Kyrgyz Republic. The U.S. government is aware of increased IMU activity in Central Asia. New tactics, including the use of suicide bombers, have been employed by terrorists in neighboring Uzbekistan. The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek continues to maintain a heightened security posture.
U.S. Embassy personnel continue to observe heightened security precautions at work and in places where westerners congregate, as well as public places, such as markets and bazaars.
Travel by U.S. Government personnel to areas of the Kyrgyz Republic south and west of Osh is currently restricted. This is due to the history of IMU activity in the area and the presence of land mines in the Batken Oblast region and along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border. The U.S. Embassy strongly recommends against travel to these areas.
U.S. citizens are urged to register and update their contact information at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek. The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek is located at 171 Prospect Mira, 720016 Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. The phone number is 996-312-551-241, fax: 996-312-551-264, and website: http://www.usemb-bishkek.rpo.at.
Updated information on travel and security in the Kyrgyz Republic may be obtained from the Department of State by calling 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or, from overseas, 1-317-472-2328. U.S. citizens should consult the Department of State's Consular Information Sheet for the Kyrgyz Republic http://travel.state.gov, the Worldwide Caution Public Announcement, and the travel publication A Safe Trip Abroad http://travel.state.gov/travel/abroad_pub_safetrip.html, all of which are available on the Department's Internet site at http://travel.state.gov.
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