Uzbek President Islam Abduganiyevich Karimov on Wednesday ordered the closure of schools, universities and kindergartens across the country as authorities tightened security measures after two days of explosions and shoot-outs.  

The schools are to remain closed until April 4, and the border with Tajikistan remained shut for a second day, local reports said.

Police and troops with automatic machine guns were out in force in the capital Tashkent amid high tensions in the Central Asia state.

The Uzbek authorities detained 30 suspects Wednesday on suspicion of involvement in these terror attacks.

A special committee, led by Karimov, is investigating the attacks that shook Tashkent and the ancient city of Bukhara on Monday and Tuesday.

The attacks were mostly directed against police targets and are the deadliest to hit the former Soviet republic.

About 20 suspected Islamic militants blew themselves up on Tuesday after hours of battling with the Uzbek special forces near Tashkent.

Three policemen also died in the clash and five others were seriously injured, the Interior Ministry said.

Also on Tuesday in the Tashkent State, eight attackers died after an exchange of fire with policemen at a police post.

On the same day in the region, a car explosion took place near the dam of the Charvaka reservoir, reportedly in an attempt to destroy the dam and flood Tashkent.

On Sunday and Monday, at least 19 people were killed and 26 others injured in the terrorist blasts.

The government had blamed the terrorist attacks on Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic group banned in the country, but the latter denied the accusations.

Some experts said the violence is possibly the work of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an Islamic extremist organization which is believed to have close links with the al-Qaeda network.

(Xinhua News Agency April 1, 2004)