Uzbek Militant Reportedly Kills Self

An anti-terrorism official said a militant blew himself up inside a house early today, ending a standoff in the Uzbek capital. But his account contradicted police reports of militants holding a large number of hostages.

Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency reported two hostages had been freed unharmed.

Oleg Bichenov, the Tashkent city police force’s anti-terrorism deputy chief, said there were no hostages and that a lone man -- barricaded in a house and surrounded by police -- had detonated explosives, killing himself.

An officer at the scene, however, said that about 20 militants were holding many captives, and that special police forces were wary of launching an assault because of the large number of hostages.

Bichenov had no explanation for the discrepancies. Uzbekistan is an authoritarian country where information is strictly controlled, contributing to the confusion.

The standoff began with an unknown number of casualties in a grenade explosion in the Sabir-Rakhimovski district of Tashkent. Russia’s Channel One television said three people were wounded, and Itar-Tass said one police officer was lightly injured.

Police blocked off streets, and trucks packed with soldiers arrived and pushed back onlookers.

The incident marked a fourth straight day of violence in the Central Asian country, where battles between police and Islamic militants had reportedly taken at least 42 lives.

The violence in Uzbekistan, where President Islam Karimov rules with an iron fist, was the first of note since the country became a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.