Prison Riot In Tajikistan Leaves 25 Inmates, 2 Officers Dead - Source

A riot at a high-security prison in northern Tajikistan has resulted in 27 fatalities, including two officers, a local security source told Sputnik on Thursday.

DUSHANBE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th November, 2018) A riot at a high-security prison in northern Tajikistan has resulted in 27 fatalities, including two officers, a local security source told Sputnik on Thursday.

"Two officers were killed in the riot. Six prison guards were injured and hospitalized. Their lives aren't in danger," the source said, adding that 25 other fatalities were inmates.

The riot broke out on Wednesday night in the second-largest Tajik city of Khujand after an inmate, believed to be a member of the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia), assaulted a guard.

The prisoner wrestled a rifle from an officer and took control of a prison unit with the help of other inmates. Security forces stormed the facility and quelled the riot.

Neighboring Kyrgyzstan has said it is closely watching the events in Tajikistan. The Kyrgyz border guard agency has said it has ramped up security along the border and at checkpoints.