13 killed in Tajikistan crackdown after police station attacks

Thirteen militants were killed on Saturday in Tajikistan, a day after their armed group allegedly carried out deadly attacks on police, France 24 quoted the interior ministry as saying.

The operation by both the army and police follows Friday attacks that saw eight policemen and nine militants killed and which the government said were orchestrated by former deputy defence minister Abduhalim Nazarzoda.

"At this time, 32 members of Nazarzoda's criminal group have been detained, 13 of whom have been eliminated," the ministry said in a statement.

Four policemen were killed in a shootout with militants on the outskirts of the capital Dushanbe on Friday and another four officers were killed in an attack in the town of Vahdat just outside the capital, the interior ministry said.

A large-scale security operation was underway to find the assailants, who seized a "large amount of weapons and ammunition" during Friday's attacks, the ministry said.

More than 500 weapons and ammunition have been seized from group during the operation, authorities