Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A riot at a Tajikistan prison late Wednesday killed 22 people, including two prison guards, local authorities said.
Prison officials weren't sure what caused the fight, but it started after an inmate killed a prison guard, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported Thursday. The prisoner was identified as a member of the terrorist group Takfiri Desh, a security official told Press TV. The official said the inmate then stole the guard's assault rifle.
The Khujand prison is located 186 miles north of the capital, Dushanbe, and has a reputation for housing extremist inmates.
Tajikistan regularly announces detentions and convictions of militants. The group claimed responsibility for a previous attack in which four Western tourists in the country.
One of the guards killed in the fighting, a 29-year-old man, was buried in Pastighav Thursday, village head Shohkarim Muhammadiev told RFE.
Police blocked roads and highways connecting the city with neighboring Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan during the riot, witnesses said.
Tajikistan has struggled with security problems, as it is next to war-torn Afghanistan -- and heavily depends on Russia to fight militants.
