TRAVEL WARNING - UZBEKISTAN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 STATE 071806

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: CASC PTER ASEC UZ
SUBJECT: TRAVEL WARNING - UZBEKISTAN


1. This Travel Warning is being issued to remind U.S.
citizens that the potential for a terrorist attack or
localized civil disturbance still exists, despite the
fact that there have been no violent incidents in
Uzbekistan since May 2005. The Department of State
continues to urge Americans in Uzbekistan to exercise
caution when traveling in the region. This supersedes
the Travel Warning dated October 25, 2007.

2. The U.S. Government continues to receive information
that indicates terrorist groups may be planning attacks,
possibly against U.S. interests, in Uzbekistan.
Supporters of terrorist groups such as the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan, Al-Qaida, the Islamic Jihad
Union, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement are
active in the region. Members of these groups have
expressed anti-U.S. sentiments and have attacked U.S
. Government interests in the past, including the U.S.
Embassy in Tashkent, and may attempt to target U.S.
Government or private American interests in Uzbekistan.
In the past, these groups have conducted kidnappings,
assassinations, and suicide bombings, though no
instances have been documented in recent years.

3. High security at official U.S. facilities may lead
terrorists and their sympathizers to seek softer
targets. These may include facilities where Americans
and other foreigners congregate or visit, such as
residential areas, clubs, restaurants, places of
worship, schools, hotels, outdoor recreation events, and
resorts. The U.S. Embassy in Tashkent continues to
employ heightened security precautions. U.S. citizens
should report any unusual activity to local authorities
and then inform the Embassy.

4. The Uzbek Government maintains travel restrictions on
large parts of the Surkhandarya province bordering
Afghanistan, including the border city of Termez.
American citizens intending to travel to this region
must obtain a special permission card from the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or
Uzbek embassies and consulates abroad. Even with
permission, however, some American citizens transiting
to Afghanistan via Termez have been briefly detained
and/or fined for not registering in Uzbekistan.
Furthermore, American citizens affiliated with
nongovernmental organizations that have been closed in
Uzbekistan may be denied entry, even with a valid visa.

5. Uzbekistan experienced a wave of terrorist violence
in 2004. In July 2004 there were three suicide bombings
in Tashkent, including one outside the U.S. Embassy. The
Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) claimed responsibility for the
attacks. The IJU also used suicide bombers in multiple
attacks focused on police and Uzbek private and
commercial facilities in Tashkent and Bukhara in late
March and early April 2004. In May 2005, armed militants
stormed a prison in Andijon, released its prisoners, and
then took control of the regional administration and
other government buildings in Andijon Province. Fighting
broke out between government forces and the militants,
and reports indicated that several hundred civilians
died in the ensuing violence. While there were no
reports of U.S. citizens affected by these events, U.S.
citizens and other foreigners in Uzbekistan have
experienced harassment from authorities since the 2005
violence.

6. Americans traveling to or remaining in Uzbekistan are
strongly urged to register with the U.S. Embassy through
the State Department's travel registration website,
https://travelregistration.state.gov, and to obtain
updated information on travel and security within
Uzbekistan. Americans without Internet access may
register directly with the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent.
The U.S. Embassy in Uzbekistan is located at # 3,

STATE 00071806 002 OF 002


Moyqorghon Street, 5th Block, Yunusobod District,
Tashkent-700093, Uzbekistan. The telephone number is
998-71-120-5450 and can be reached after hours as well.
The Consular fax number is 998-71-120-5448. The website
is (http://uzbekistan.usembassy.gov ).

7. As the Department continues to develop information on
any potential security threats to U.S. citizens
overseas, it shares credible threat information through
its consular information documents, including the
Country Specific Information for Uzbekistan and the
Worldwide Caution, available on the Internet at
http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on
the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date
information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407
-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or, outside the
U.S. and Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501
-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00
p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S.
federal holidays).


8. Minimize considered.
RICE