At the end of 2000, Kyrgyzstan hosted some 11,000 refugees. More than 9,800 of the refugees were from Tajikistan, about 800 were from Afghanistan, and nearly 400 were persons of various nationalities whose asylum claims were pending. Of those from Tajikistan, an estimated 90 to 95 percent were ethnic Kyrgyz who previously lived in Tajikistan but who moved to Kyrgyzstan either when Kyrgyzstan became independent in 1991 or following the outbreak of civil war in Tajikistan in 1992. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) helped about 865 persons to repatriate from Kyrgyzstan to Tajikistan during the year.

During the year, some 1,780 persons applied for refugee status in Kyrgyzstan. Among them were 1,640 Tajiks (most of whom have lived in Kyrgyzstan for many years), 288 Afghans, and 260 Chechens from the Russian Federation. According to UNHCR, the State Agency of Migration and Demography, the Kyrgyz government agency responsible for refugees and asylum seekers, recognized 1,719 of those who applied as refugees, rejected the claims of 143, and at year's end was still considering the claims of 386 others.

Insurgents associated with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan carried out several attacks on towns in Kyrgyzstan during August and September. The attacks caused the temporary displacement of some 120 people.

The rebels, whose apparent aim is to impose Islamic Sharia law in Uzbekistan and neighboring countries, operate out of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The U.S. State Department says that Afghanistan's ruling Taliban supports them.

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