Soldiers die in Tajikistan ambush

At least 23 soldiers have been killed in Tajikistan after a convoy was attacked by suspected Muslim fighters, according to a spokesman for the Central Asian nation's army. The attack occurred on Sunday about 250km east of the capital Dushanbe, near the border with Afghanistan. Faridun Makhmadaliyev, a defense ministry spokesman, said on Monday that the soldiers were to rejoin a security post in the Rasht district when they were ambushed in the valley. Many soldiers were seriously wounded in the attack and evacuated for treatment. The ambush comes at a time of rising tension following a string of blasts. A suicide bombing against a police station in the northern city of Khujand earlier this month claimed two victims and wounded 25. Days later, a bomb was detonated in a disco in the capital, Dushanbe, wounding seven.