Kyrgyz authorities said they regained control across the volatile south on Friday after at least two people died in violent clashes with supporters of the ousted president. Officials and witnesses said interim government forces took back the administration headquarters in Osh and Jalalabad a day after backers of Kurmanbek Bakiyev seized the buildings in a challenge to the new government's fragile authority.
The showdown has underscored worries about stability in the mainly Muslim, ethnically divided nation which hosts US and Russian military air bases. Bakiyev, who himself came to power as a result of a revolt in 2005, fled the Central Asian nation after the April 7-8 uprising, and has taken refuge in Belarus.
The United States and Russia have expressed support for the interim government and are keen to prevent any further unrest in the ex-Soviet republic strategically located near Afghanistan. On Thursday, Bakiyev supporters seized government headquarters in all three southern provinces - Osh, Jalalabad and Batken. Interim authorities said they regained control in remote Batken late on Thursday. On Friday, a crowd of supporters marched to the government headquarters in Osh, the chief southern city, and took it over after scuffling with guards. No serious injuries were reported.
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