Civil war in Tajikistan was conducted by foreign mercenaries - Rahmon

Beijing. June 28. Silkroadnews - Tajik President Emomali Rahmon said the civil war in Tajikistan was organized by the enemies of the Tajik people and conducted by foreign mercenaries as aimed to build an Islamic state on the territory of the republic, the Tajik Telegraph Agency (TajikTA) reported on Thursday.
The Tajik leader made the statement speaking in the town of Kanibadam on the National Reconciliation Day marking the 21st anniversary of the General Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and National Accord signing.
As a result of the war that lasted five years more than 150,000 citizens of the country were killed, more than one million citizens became refugees, tens of thousands of houses, hospitals, schools, social facilities were burned and destroyed, the president said.
He also said about the negotiations held with the United Tajik Opposition (UTO), resulted in forty important documents signed along with the General Agreement on Peace and National Accord in Tajikistan, which was signed in Moscow on June 27, 1997.
The general agreement on peace, the president emphasized, has been signed with the UTO. The government of the country never signed any agreements with a terrorist and extremist organization and all the people of Tajikistan should know this, Rahmon said.