Tajikistan attack: Four cyclists mown down are identified

bbc ^ | 8/1/18

[Wilderness Conservative]

Authorities have identified four cyclists who were killed while riding in Tajikistan in an attack that has been claimed by the IS terror group.

The victims had all kept online blogs documenting their intercontinental bike journeys.

A couple from Washington DC who quit their jobs to cycle and had already toured three continents were among those killed in Sunday's attack.

The other two were a Swiss citizen and a Dutch national.

American couple Lauren Geoghegan and Jay Austin, both 29, had been travelling for over a year.

In April, Mr Austin wrote during a bike tour of Morocco: "Badness exists, sure, but even that's quite rare.

"By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind.

"Generous and wonderful and kind. No greater revelation has come from our journey than this."

The pair had cycled through Africa and Europe before flying to Kazakhstan in May.

[fireman15]

“Tajikistan has struggled with poverty and instability since the former Soviet republic became independent in 1991. It had declared 2018 a “year of tourism”, AFP news agency said.”

Well so much for that idea... but there is always 2019. At least justice was swift. “Following Monday's attack, four suspects were killed by authorities in a special operation, the interior ministry said. Another four were arrested, and a damaged car believed to have been involved was recovered.

From IS, “Such attacks, it said, would instill fear in Christians and prompt them to leave these countries. “

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-45009816

[robowombat]

‘During the Vietnam war hippies would travel to adjacent countries and then hike into North Vietnam to show solidarity with the downtrodden communists. The Vietnamese knew these were just deluded idiots. But, they accused them each of being spies and executed them.”

I spent a good bit of time there and never heard this one. I suspect it is a Snopes. American and European hips did regularly cross into Laos . They did so to hang around Vientiane because dope was really cheap and easy to get and very high quality. To get to NVN one had to travel through the Pathet Lao controlled zone and then into a de facto NV controlled zone dozens of kilometers from the real border. This was the so-called Ho Chi Minh Trail Complex and the Viets wouldn't let any outsiders in. Getting through the Pathet Lao region would be next to impossible let alone the trail zone. I am sure some hippie dopers did wander into the Pathet Lao zone and were never heard from again. A fair number of these people just disappeared in India, Afghanistan and SE Asia. If any got to NV they to just vanished with no trial. If you have some info on Hippie wanderers being apprehended in NV I would be interested in a citation. It was an interesting region that is for sure.

[Gen.Blather]

“If you have some info on Hippie wanderers being apprehended in NV I would be interested in a citation”

I recall reading about the execution of American backpacker “spies” in the newspaper during the war, but could not find any citations after several Google searches. Modern citations dealt with the current backpacking hobbies in Vietnam.