QURGHON TEPPA, February 14, Asia-Plus — Pakistan has reportedly extradited alleged activist of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) to Tajikistan.
Tolibjon Azimov, a senior aide to the Khatlon prosecutor, told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon that a 26-year-old resident of the village of Qizil Nishon, the Yangiyul jamoat in Khatlon’s Qubodiyon district Bakhtiyor Umarov, who is an alleged IMU activist, was extradited from Pakistan to Tajikistan on February 3.
“Bakhtiyor Umarov is perhaps one of activists of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan in Tajikistan,” said the prosecutor. “The group members included thirteen persons. All of them are residents of the village of Qizil Nishon; three of them have already been detained and international warrants for arrest of the remaining ten members of this group have been issued.”
The Yangiyul jamoat head Chori Kholiyorov says that Bakhtiyor Umarov “was on the list of young people who were in the Islamic countries. “We have met with their parents for several times but they have always insisted that they do not know the whereabouts of their sons,” said Kholiyorov. “To tell the truth, this village [Qizil Nishon] has always posed problems for us.”
We will recall that two residents of this village – Akmal Rashidov and Ibrohim Qurbonov – were arrested on September 15, 2011 on suspicion of being activists 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 was to overthrow President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, and to create an Islamic state under Sharia.
Operating out of bases in Taliban-controlled areas of northern Afghanistan, the IMU launched a series of raids into southern Kyrgyzstan in 1999 and 2000. However, in 2001 the IMU was largely destroyed while fighting alongside the Taliban against coalition forces in Afghanistan. Namangani was killed, and the IMU”s remaining fighters were dispersed. Yuldashev and an unknown number of fighters escaped with remnants of the Taliban to Waziristan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Since then the IMU has reportedly opened training camps in Waziristan and is now involved with other groups attempting to overthrow the government of Pakistan. Yuldashev was killed in a US Predator drone air strike. U.S. and Pakistan officials confirmed Yuldashev was killed in an air strike on August 27, 2009. On August 17, 2010 Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan announced its new leader — Abu Usman Adil.
