Incident Summary:

11/07/2018: An assailant attacked a guard and stole his weapon at a prison in Khujand, Sughd, Tajikistan. A riot ensued between prisoners and guards, leading to the deaths of at least 27 people, including prisoners and guards, while five other guards were injured. It is unknown whether there were any assailant casualties. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed responsibility for the incident.

GTD ID:
201811070036

When:
2018-11-07

Country:
Tajikistan

Region:
Central Asia

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Sughd

City:
Khujand

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Armed Assault
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Police
Name of Entity Unknown
Specific Description Guard
Nationality of Target Tajikistan
Target Type: Police
Name of Entity Politsia
Specific Description Inmates
Nationality of Target Tajikistan
Additional Information
Hostages No
Ransom No
Property Damage Yes
Extent of Property Damage Unknown
Value of Property Damage Unknown
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Automatic Weapon
Weapon Details
An assault rifle was used in the attack.
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information Casualty numbers conflict across sources. Following GTD protocol, the majority reliable estimates are reported here.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Posted to website, blog, etc.)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators Unknown
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 27 Fatalities / 5 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 27
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities Unknown
Total Number of Injured 5
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured Unknown
Sources
"At least 27 killed in Tajikistan prison riot," Himalayan Times, November 8, 2018.
"Inmates Killed in Tajikistan Prison Riot," The Diplomat Magazine, November 8, 2018.