Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov has died, Reuters reported Friday afternoon. Diplomatic sources, including Turkish Prime Minister Binali Tildirim, confirmed the death, but the Uzbek government has so far declined to comment. A statement earlier Friday from a spokesman said his health had deteriorated. Karimov was 78 years old and had reportedly suffered a stoke. He left no clear successor to his post, which he has held since 1989, according to the news agency.
