Officials believe the Islamic militants are trying to reach Uzbekistan in order to launch a holy war against the secular government of President Islam Karimov. Uzbek officials have been watching developments in Kyrgyzstan with increasing alarm and have offered military support to rout the gunmen. The Kyrgyz government had said that the fighters' main routes toward Uzbekistan had been blocked. The small and poorly equipped Kyrgyz army has been struggling to contain the incursions by calling up reservists and relying on military equipment from Russia and other Central Asian neighboring states. A Kyrgyz security official says this latest attack was most likely an attempt to break into the enclave of Sokh, a small pocket of Uzbekistan surrounded by Kyrgyz territory.
Officials say their first priority is to free the hostages before they can destroy the gunmen.
The Interfax news agency reports Defense Ministry officials have dispatched special troops to the Tajik border in order to prevent further incursions by Islamic militants.