April 7, 2010 6:11 PM

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4 killed in clashes between police & protesters in Kyrgyztan

In Kyrgyztan, four people have been killed in clashes between police and protesters in the capital Bishkek. Witnesses said at least four bodies were on the ground, while a medical official told reporters that several people had been killed and dozens injured, mostly from firearms. The clashes come a day after thousands of people stormed government offices in the north-west city of Talas. Several thousand opposition supporters, some of them with arms, have been trying to storm the office of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev amid unrest over rising fuel prices and corruption. Angry crowds attacked special forces police with rocks and petrol bombs. They reportedly set fire to portraits of President Bakiyev. Reports said the protesters in Bishkek appeared to be leaderless, after a number of opposition heads were arrested today. The unrest began on Tuesday in the north-western city of Talas, where protesters briefly took the local governor hostage while another group surrounded the local police headquarters.The Kyrgyz parliament is currently debating whether to impose a curfew in the city of Talas. Prime Minister Daniyar Usenov said the government does not have enough forces to bring order in the northern regions. Meanwhile, Russia and the United States, which have military base in Kyrgyztan, appealed for calm.

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