DUSHANBE, August 17, 2010, Asia-Plus — A website run by the terror group known as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) has announced the death of its emir (leader), Tahir Yuldashev, and posted an image of his corpse.
According to Ferghna.ru, Furqon.com, an Uzbek-language website run by the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) yesterday put up two images of Yuldahsev, who was described as “Shaheed Mohammed Tahir,” and said he was “slain.” Shaheed is a term used by Islamist groups to describer martyrs who are killed in combat.
In his statement about the death of Mohammed Tahir “Foruk” (the name of Tahir Yuldashev, referred by his militants), posted on the abovementioned website, new IMU emir Usman Adil said Tahir Yuldashev was killed by American scout aircraft missile strike on 6th day of Ramadan, 1430 (August 27, 2009) when mujahidins completed “zuhr” midday namaz, Ferghana.ru reported on August 17, noting that several teammates of Yuldashev were also killed.
“The major reason why this information was not disseminated within the year was the fact that mujahidins were fighting with the gloves off in Afghanistan and especially Pakistan against the enemies of Islam”, says new emir. “Since anti-Islam troops totally blocked our region the battles were especially violent”.
“In concern with this grievous event and based on our Sharia Jihad norms IMU leadership decided to keep this information in secret”, new IMU leader noted.
In the meantime, an article “Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan confirms leader Tahir Yuldashev killed” by Bill Roggio published in The Long War Journal on August 16 notes that Yuldashev was first reported to have been killed in a strike by an unmanned US aircraft in the town of Kanigoram on August 27, 2009. The strike took place in a known stronghold of the Taliban forces under the command of Mullah Nazir. Eight Taliban and Uzbek fighters were reported killed in the attack.
A controversy over Yuldashev”s death soon emerged, with the IMU and top Pakistani Taliban leader Qari Hussain Mehsud denying Yuldashev”s death. But IMU fighters, including a man who identified himself as Yuldashev”s bodyguard, as well as a Pakistani Taliban leader and Pakistan”s intelligence service insisted he was killed in the South Waziristan strike.
The bodyguard said Yuldashev had been replaced by “an ethnic Tatar by name of Abdurakhman.” An Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan leader known as Zubair ibn Abdurakhman is said to serve as the group’s spokesman as well as a leader of a faction of the group. Another report indicated that a leader named Usman Jan has taken control of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) is a militant Islamist group formed in 1991
by the Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev
, and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani – both ethnic Uzbeks from the Ferghana Valley. Its objective is to overthrow President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, and to create an Islamic state under Sharia.
Juma Namangani was killed by anti-Taliban fighters from the Northern Alliance during the US invasion of Afghanistan in November 2001. The group moved operations to the Afghan-Pakistani border.
Yuldashev is said to have been one of the senior commanders battling US forces during Operation Anaconda in the Shahi-Kot Valley in Afghanistan”s eastern province of Paktia in March 2002. The IMU is closely allied with al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban.
The IMU is reportedly strong in northern Afghanistan, where, over the past two years, the insurgency has been revitalized.
