Name organization

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)

Formation

IMU was formed in the early 1990s, when the Uzbek Prime Minister Karimov banned the Islamic party called Adolat. The members of this group went underground and found the IMU. Taher Yaldashev (Tohir Yo’ldoshev) and Namagani (Juma Namangoniy) were the founding members of IMU. It developed under their leadership during and after the Tajik civil war.[1]

 

 

Leadership

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yuldashev, Namangani and later Usmon Adil controlled the command of the IMU. Juma Namangani was born in 1968 in Namangan, an Uzbek city in the Fergana Valley—the heart of Central Asia. He was not active in the media as compared to other terrorist organizations’ leaders. He was very famous in his area.[2] Yuldashev was a renowned young mullah in the underground Islamic movement and he was 24 years old at the time he founded the IMU.[3] After the US invasion of Afghanistan he settled in South Waziristan. Soon, he became very famous among the local circles. He became an influential speaker at the local mosques. At that time he totally submerged the IMU into Al-Qaeda. Tahir Yuldashev was killed in a drone strike. After his death, Tahir’ Usmon Adil, another top tier leader took the charge of IMU. He was also very brutal and was killed in drone strike in 2012.[4]

School of thought

They belong to the Sunni sect Deobandi of Islam.

Structure of the organization.

No information is available regarding the structure of the organization.

Status

 

IMU was faced with opposition from the government, so they took refuge in Afghanistan and took patronage under the umbrella of Al-Qaeda. But after the US invasion of Afghanistan they came to the Pakistani northern areas (Waziristan area in FATA). Between 2001 and 2015, IMU militants worked on behalf of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Attacks included airport bombings in Peshawar and Karachi in 2012 and 2014. In the 2010s, (Suicide bombers armed with rockets attacked the military side of the Peshawar airport on 15th December 2012 in which nine people were killed and more than thirty were injured. Three rockets were fired by the militants at the airport.[5] On 8th June 2014 the Karachi airport was attacked by militants, leaving 15 people dead including 10 attackers.[6]) IMU has struggled to attract recruits due to the ISIS/Islamic State's popularity. After Pakistani military actions forced IMU into Afghanistan border in 2015, the IMU renounced the Taliban in favor of rival IS.[7] It has been banned by Pakistan on 15 march 2013[8]  corresponding notification number[9]

F.1/3/2013-Poll-I(1) and by the US in 25 September 2000.[10]

Recruitment tools & demographics

 

 

Most of the recruited workers were from Uzbek background in the early days of its formation. They had about 3000 fighters, and the area of operation was central Asia and Afghanistan’s northern part. After the US invasion of Afghanistan, they were forced to retreat into Pakistan; here they found new recruits’ who were not ethnic Uzbek. Ethnic Tajiks and Turkmen have also been reported in IMU units. For most of the years since they arrived in Pakistan, the IMU have been engaged in fighting in Pakistan’s tribal areas.[11]

Financial resources

Tahir Yuldashev, a young mullah in the underground Islamic movement took control of the drug market in Afghanistan and Central Asia as he was controlling the border areas of these countries. After the disintegration of Soviet Union, these states were in the situation of civil wars. These conditions favored Tahir Yuldashev and he visited different countries like Turkey to seek support for his organization. Some countries extended support to IMU at that time. Al-Qaeda also gave them financial and material support.[12]

Ideology

 

IMU is a fundamentalist, separatist and a terrorist organization. During the Soviet era, the Muslims of Central Asia were kept oppressed and they had no religious freedom. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, a puppet regime of Karimov took the charge of the affairs in Uzbekistan and maintains almost the same policies as that of the USSR era. After a ban on Adolat (the Islamic party), a new militant organization was founded by the members of that party. The organization was IMU.[13]

Areas of Operation

 

 

Pakistan, Russia, Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Middle East.[14]

Tools

 

   Print Media:

   Not Available

   Publications:

   Not Available

   Audio/Video:

   Not Available

   Social Media:

  IMU is not active on social media

Website

Not Available

Name Variations

None

 

Who they are

IMU is a terrorist organization, operating in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. They are famous for drug trafficking in Central Asia and also responsible for an assassination attempt on Uzbek President Karimov in 1999. Its bases are in the Waziristan region of Pakistan, in Afghanistan and Central Asian states. The group has been involved in terrorist attacks in Pakistan. They have targeted some high value targets in Pakistan. Attacks included airport bombings in Peshawar and Karachi in 2012 and 2014.  The IMU finances terrorist activities from drug trafficking and also receives donations from Al Qaeda.[15]

 

History

After the disintegration of Soviet Union the Adolat party in Uzbekistan started its campaign to make Uzbekistan an Islamic state. The President of Uzbekistan Ismail Karimov put a ban on this party in 1992. Hence they started their struggle underground and founded IMU. The lawlessness in Afghanistan and the rise of Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan helped the IMU develop the organization; furthermore the illegal drug trade in Afghanistan and in central Asia also provided some channels of fund to support the organization’s activities. After the US drawdown on Al-Qaeda and Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001 these factions took refuge in Pakistan.[16]

 

Organization's Message

They want an Islamic system in Uzbekistan. They are also an organization that has worked for Al-Qaeda, so an element of the concept of international Jihad is also a part of their message.  Now they have joined ISIS[17]. The IMU have thrown their support behind ISIS, a group which has seized major parts of Syria and Iraq and aims to establish Islamic Caliphate in the region. The IMU support ISIS as they believe ISIS does not have a national agenda but a global one and they will soon assume control of Palestine and the Muslim holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.[18]

 

Target Audience

Muslims and youth in particular in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia are the main target of IMU.[19]

Tools

N/A

Splinter groups

Islamic jihad/jehad Union is a splinter organization of IMU. IJU broke away from IMU due to some internal differences among the top leadership. IJU is a terrorist organization having links with global jihadist movement. Its recruits include people from central Asia, china and Uzbeks. They are also against the secular regime in Uzbekistan, and have been very much active in terrorists’ activities against the regime.[20]

Annexure

Adolat

Adolat, a social-democratic party of Uzbekistan was founded on February 18th 1995 at the first Founding Congress of the party. Adolat has currently 102,000 members which are united in 3200 primary party organizations. The objectives of SDPU “Adolat” are training people who serve for the motherland on creating a legal democratic state in Uzbekistan, helping citizens of Uzbekistan to realize their rights and freedoms, improving social life of citizens of the republic and also creating suggestions and recommendations on providing social protection of the people.[21]  

Deobandi

Deobandis are a significant group of Muslims present in the sub continent who adhere to the Sunni sect of Islam and follow the ideology of Imam Abu Hanifa. The school of thought is named after the University of Deoband Dar ul Aloom in India. They believe in safeguarding the teachings of Islam, while spreading the religion through preaching.[22]   

Al Qaeda

Al Qaeda is an international terrorist network founded by Osama Bin Laden in 1988. Al Qaeda helped in recruiting, financing and training thousands of fighters from different parts of the world to be part of an Afghan resistance to defeat the Soviet Union. Al Qaeda’s goal is to establish Islamic Caliphate throughout the world by working with Islamic extremist groups to overthrow regimes they consider to be non Islamic. Al Qaeda’s activities include bombing, assassination, hijacking, kidnapping and suicide attacks. Al Qaeda is responsible for the attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania in 1998 and also the hijacking attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.[23]       

ISIS/Islamic state

Islamic State also known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a militant organization in Iraq and Syria whose aim is to establish a caliphate. The group is believed to be formed in the early 2000s by Abu Musab Al Zarqawi. Zarqawi’s militants played a major part in the Iraqi insurgency during the US occupation. After Zarqawi’s death in 2006 in an American airstrike Abu Ayub al Masri an Egyptian bomb maker who had trained in Afghanistan became the leader of the group. The group faced decline due to increased security from US and Iraqi forces until 2011, when it started to grow through its involvement in the Syrian civil war. During the period of 2013 and 2014 ISIS took over territory in Syria and Iraq. ISIS is also known for its public beheadings of Western captives.[24]  

 

 


 

[1] BERKLEY CENTER for Religion, Peace & World Affairs.Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Accessed on june 26, 2015. Retrieved from. http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/organizations/islamic-movement-of-uzbekistan

[2] Ibid.

[3] Academia.edu. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) accessed on june 26, 2015. Retrieved from. http://www.academia.edu/1214053/The_Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistan_IMU_

[5] Militants attack airport in Peshawar; nine killed. Dawn 15th December 2012. Retrieved on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.dawn.com/news/771536/three-blasts-heard-in-peshawar.  

[6] 15 killed as terrorists attack Karachi airport. June 8 2014. Retrieved on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-150165-15-killed-as-terrorists-attack-Karachi-airport

[7] BERKLEY CENTER for Religion, Peace & World Affairs.Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Accessed on june 26, 2015. Retrieved from. http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/organizations/islamic-movement-of-uzbekistan

[8] GOVERNMENT OF PAKISTAN, NATIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT CELL MINISTRY OF INTERIOR List of terrorists organizations, accessed on July 7, 2015, retrieved from  http://nacta.gov.pk/Download_s/__bannedOrgs.pdf

[9]  Accessed online from: http://nacta.gov.pk/Download_s/__bannedOrgs_old.pdf date of access: 14 July 2015

[10] U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. Foreign Terrorist Organizations accessed on July 7, 2015, retrieved from http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm

[11] Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: An evolving threat. Accessed on on june 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.rferl.org/content/islamic-movement-uzbekistan-roundtable/25405614.html

[12]Academia.edu. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) accessed on june 26, 2015. Retrieved from.  http://www.academia.edu/1214053/The_Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistan_IMU_

[13] Ibid.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Academia.edu. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) accessed on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from.  http://www.academia.edu/1214053/The_Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistan_IMU_

[16] Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan: An evolving threat. Accessed on on june 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.rferl.org/content/islamic-movement-uzbekistan-roundtable/25405614.html

[17] Academia.edu. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) accessed on June 26,  2015. Retrieved from.  http://www.academia.edu/1214053/The_Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistan_IMU_

[18] Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan declares support for ISIS. October 6th 2014. Alakhbar English. Retrieved on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from  http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/21859

[19] . Academia.edu. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) accessed on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from.  http://www.academia.edu/1214053/The_Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistan_IMU_

[20]  Ronald Sandee Director of Analysis and Research the NEFA Foundation, The Roots of the IJU, accessed on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from.  http://www.academia.edu/12893790/The_Islamic_Jihad_Union_IJU_

[21] The Social Democratic party of Uzbekistan “Adolat”. The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Retrieved on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://elections.uz/en/events/political_parties/74/

[22] IslamQA. Deobandis. Retrieved on June 26,  2015. Retrieved from http://www.islam-qa.com/en22473

[23] Al Qaeda. Retrieved on June 26, 2015. Retrieved from http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/al-qaida.htm

[24] The Islamic State. Mapping Militant Organizations. Retrieved on June 26, 2015.Retrieved from http://web.stanford.edu/group/mappingmilitants/cgi-bin/groups/view/1