DUSHANBE, May 19, Asia-Plus – Tajik news agency
Tojnews
reported on May 19 that Colonel Gulmurod Halimov, Commander of OMON (Special Purpose Police Unit) of the Interior Ministry of Tajikistan, has been detained in Turkey and extradited to Tajikistan.
Tojnews
says a source close to the Tajik law enforcement authorities noted that Halimov had been detained with fake passport in Turkey.
According to unofficial information, Tajik special police unit commander was seeking to cross into Syria,
Tojnews
reported, noting that official Dushanbe neither confirmed nor denied that information.
We will recall that Colonel Halimov disappeared in late April leaving observers to speculate about where he might be.
Some sources in the law enforcement agencies and Halimov’s friends told
Asia-Plus
in interviews that Halimov had shown growing interest in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) activities in recent months.
“He turned into an ISIL fanatic and began to promote the terrorist organization”s ideas among his friends and acquaintances,” one of Halimov’s friends, who wanted to remain unnamed, told
Asia-Plus
.
According to him, Halimov angrily rejected their advice that joining IS would be a pointless act.
Unofficial sources said Gulmurod Halimov left Dushanbe on May 1 along with 10 other men, mostly unemployed men.
On May 2, Halimov and those men were reportedly seen at Moscow”s Sheremetyevo International Airport.
Deputy Interior Minister Ikrom Umarzoda said he didn”t have any information on the colonel. Umarzoda neither denied nor confirmed the information that Tajik police special unit commander had joined ISIL militants in Syria. “I know nothing about it,” the deputy interior minister told
Asia-Plus
in an interview on May 12.
Halimov”s family dismissed suggestions that the colonel could leave for Syria to join ISIL militants there as “baseless.”
Halimov”s brother Nazir, 28, told
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service
on May 12 that the family was “extremely worried,” since the OMON commander hasn”t contacted anyone since leaving home.
“He hasn”t been in touch with anyone by either telephone or Internet,” Nazir said, noting that all Halimov’s accounts are offline now, and his mobile phone is off, too.
Nazir said Halimov left home on April 23 after giving his wife around $200 in spending money, less than the amount he frequently gave her before departing on business trips.
Halimov has been planning family business projects, including a chicken farm, Nazir said, adding that Halimov had also purchased building materials to complete the construction of a half-built fitness center, another family business project.
According to him, the relatives do not believe that Halimov could leave for Syria.
