Letter: A civil war that is often ignored
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: I was very glad at last to see a serious report on the Tajik civil war, which has been raging for several months now while the British press has almost ignored it ('Russia takes sides in Tajikistan war', 17 February). At the same time, in my view, your correspondent did not reflect the gravity of the situation.
Your Russian namesake (Nezavisimaia gazeta) reported on 6 February that in the fighting, an estimated 20,000-60,000 people (according to different reports) have been killed, 150,000 have disappeared and half a million have been made homeless.
Furthermore, it seems that the so-called Popular Front, which recently seized power, has been conducting a reign of terror against Muslims, democrats and people from regions that supported the overthrown government.
We are often told that the situation in the former Soviet Union is much less serious than in former Yugoslavia, and for the most part that is true. The recent history of Tajikistan shows, however, that fighting of Bosnian proportions is, in fact, taking place in one area of former Soviet territory, and that the Russians may be tempted to intervene in a quasi-imperial role. Is the West watching? Let us have more reports from Tajikistan.
Yours sincerely,
GEOFFREY HOSKING
Professor of Russian History
School of Slavonic and
East European Studies
University of London
London, WC1
18 February
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments