IS claims Tajik foreign cyclist attack

The Islamic State group (IS) has said it was responsible for an attack in Tajikistan on Sunday, in which four foreign tourists were killed.

Two Americans, a Swiss and a Dutch national died when a car hit them in the Danghara district, about 70km (43 miles) south-east of the capital Dushanbe.

Three other tourists were also injured.

This is the first time IS has claimed an attack in Tajikistan, but the group has not provided proof of its claim.

Two people suspected of involvement were later killed by authorities in a special operation. Another four were arrested in the same operation and a damaged car believed to have been involved was recovered.

A further three suspects were “rendered harmless” after being traced to a village, officials said. It is unclear exactly what this means, however, Prague-based privately-owned Tajik news website Akhbor suggested they had been killed.

IS later said it had carried out the attack on “citizens of the crusader coalition”.

An amateur video which appears to be of the same incident captures the moment a car is driven into unsuspecting cyclists.

According to the minister, three of the tourists died instantly and one on the way to a nearby hospital.

“One had knife wounds, he received medical help, now his condition is stable,” Mr Rahimzoda told reporters.

The victims were on a tour in the Central Asian country with three other tourists from France, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Tajikistan has struggled with poverty and instability since the former Soviet republic became independent in 1991. It had declared 2018 a “year of tourism”, AFP news agency said.