Police: American woman murdered in Uzbekistan during apparent robbery

An American woman was killed at her house in Uzbekistan's capital Tashkent during an apparent robbery, a city police officer said Wednesday.

Tyun Hyan, 60, was found dead with a plastic bag over her head in a courtyard at her house Tuesday morning, said the officer, who declined to be named.

The attackers also tried to burn down the house, he said. Police had no details on what was stolen.

Foreigners are rarely targets for criminals in this Central Asian nation, though crime has increased in recent years amid economic malaise that has left increasing numbers of Uzbeks in poverty.

AZIZ NURITOFF, Associated Press Writer