Over 150 heavily armed men belonging to government forces gathered in Freedom Square in front of the parliament building to watch the flags of Soviet Tajikistan be hurled from the rooftop.
The building was the focus of the conflict over the weekend after anti-government forces, mostly from the regions of Hissar, 40 kilometers west of Dushanbe, attacked the city early Saturday morning.
Outside parliament, the bodies of at least 11 dead rebel fighters were brought out and tossed into the backs of open trucks. Government troops, most in civilian clothes and a couple wearing Chitrali caps worn by Afghans, kicked at the corpses.
For a day the supporters of Tajikistan's ousted president, Rakhmon Nabiyev, had controlled the parliament building. But sensing the weakness of their military position agreed to withdraw, in the backs of Russian Army trucks, Sunday night.
They had also agreed with the government to an emergency meeting of parliament in Khujand in the republic's northern Leninabad region, where Nabiyev has been in exile since being deposed.
Akbar Shah Iskandarov, the acting president, told Reuters that the meeting, which was designed to begin peace negotiations between Tajikistan's warring clans, would not beheld.
At a pedestrian underpass near the presidential palace people gathered to gawk at the corpses of six anti-government fighters. They had been killed in a grenade and machine-gun attack after being trapped in the still smoking underpass.
Outside the palace several carloads of armed men, wearing the white armbands of government forces, stood guard with an armored personnel carrier. All appeared to be nervous.
There is a fear here that the anti-government, pro-Nabiyev, forces from the region of Kulyab, southeast of the capital, will attack. Reports say their leader, Sangak Safarov, 64, is gathering his forces in the town of Nurek, about 35 kilometers east of Dushanbe.
The Russian Army, which Iskandarov had called onto the streets Friday night, just seven hours before the attack began, were neutral during the fighting and appeared intent to remain so Monday. They still control Dushanbe's television station and airport.
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