Supporters of Kyrgyzstan's interim government Friday forced backers of deposed president Kurmanbek Bakiyev to leave a government building they occupied in the south of the Central Asian country, the Akipress news agency reported, according to dpa. No one was injured in the action, which came a day after demonstrators occupied the governor's office in Osh, a region considered a stronghold of the fugitive ex-president. The protesters also put ousted governor Mamasadyk Bakirov, a Bakiyev supporter, back in the seat of power in the city. Bakiyev allies also occupied the airport at Osh and seized a a building in Jalal-Abad, where shots were also reportedly fired. Analysts described the situation as fluid. Osh and its surrounding regions in the conservative-Islamic south are where Bakiyev initially fled after protesters rallied to remove him from power five weeks ago. Hundreds of demonstrators regularly rally in the region for Bakiyev's return to power. He has taken asylum in Belarus, from where Kyrgyzstan's interim government has unsuccessfully tried to have him returned since his departure.
