DUSHANBE, January 26, Asia-Plus — As a result of a special operation carried out by the security forces in the Tojikobod district, one of militants hiding in the area was killed on the night of January 25-26, the source at one of the country’s power-wielding structures told Asia-Plus today.
According to him, the killed militant was identified as 26-year-old Mazori Fathiddinov, also known as Mazori. Mazori Fathiddinov was member of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, the source said.
“Since 13 years old, Mazori was in Pakistan. He was trained at extremist camps in Afghanistan for several years,” noted the source, “Several years ago, Mazori Fathiddinov and several other militants were redeployed to Tajikistan for destabilization of the situation in the eastern part of the country.”
He added that Mazori was among militants that ambushed a convoy of the Ministry of Defense in the Kamarob Gorge, Rasht district on September 19, 2010. The Interior and Defense ministries believe Mullo Abdullo and Ali Bedaki were behind the September attack that killed more than 20 servicemen of the Ministry of Defense.
We will recall that Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on January 19 that the government forces continue to hunt for followers of militant commander Alovuddin Davlatov in Tojikobod.
Abdughaffor Amonov, deputy head of the Tojikobod police department, which borders the Rasht district 200 kilometers east of Dushanbe, told RFE/RL on January 19 that government forces were searching for Muhammadkarim Ibrohimov (nicknamed Kamol), who joined an armed group headed by Alovuddin Davlatov (Ali Bedaki).
Ibrohimov, 35, was born in the village of Mullo Temur in Tajikobod. Amonov rejected as unfounded reports that another militant leader, Abdullo Rahimov (nicknamed Mullo Abdullo), is also hiding in the area.
Amonov said Ibrohimov and some five or six other former inhabitants of the Tojikobod district were trained at Islamic extremist camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan and want to destabilize eastern Tajikistan.
