| 1999 Tashkent bombings | |
|---|---|
| Location | Tashkent, Uzbekistan |
| Date | 16 February 1999 10:50 (GMT+5) |
Attack type | Car bombing |
| Weapons | Car bombs |
| Deaths | 16 |
| Injured | >120 |
The 1999 Tashkent bombings occurred on 16 February when six car bombs exploded in Tashkent, the capital of Uzbekistan. The bombs exploded over the course of an hour and a half, and targeted multiple government buildings. It is possible that five of the explosions were a distraction from the sixth, which appeared to be an attempt to assassinate President Islam Karimov. 16 were killed, and over 120 injured.[1][2]
Although the government blamed Islamic rebels – the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) – critics have cast doubt on this assessment.[3]
Because of the tight media control in the country, the sequence of events of the attacks is not totally clear.