DUSHANBE, Tajikistan ( -- Opposition forces in Tajikistan said Sunday they had dealt government troops a big blow by tightening their grip on a mountain region east of the capital Dushanbe, as a Tajik source said the town of Tavildara had fallen to rebels.


Allied opposition forces said in a statement sent to Reuters in Moscow that it had killed 45 government troops and destroyed a large quantity of military equipment in fighting in the Pamir area from Wednesday to Friday. The statement said four opposition fighters had been killed and two wounded.


The Tajik Defense Ministry confirmed fighting in Tavildara.


Interfax, quoting an unnamed source close to the Tajik government, said opposition units had captured the village of Tavildara, 260 kilometers east of Dushanbe, as well as the villages of Dashtisher, Urun and Yeftun. He said the total number of opposition fighters was 300.