Tajik Police chief joined ISIS to kill Americans
Dushanbe, Tajikistan: High ranking Tajik Police Commander who also worked for US Blackwater and got training from US Army has joined Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), reports Dispatch News Desk news agency.
Paramilitary police commander Gulmurod Halimov who disappeared from Tajikistan some week ago has appeared in a video released by terrorist organization on Tuesday in which he explained why he joined ISIS and what were his plans in future.
Tajikistan has a long history of radicalization, intolerance, lack of interfaith harmony and civil war. Tajik society is strongly influenced by Afghan society that follow basic rules of tribal setup and Salafi Islam.
Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergej Lavrov indicated that Islamic State fighters were attempting to cross the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border. He indicated Syria war is a heaven for Islamist terrorists those wish to spread as far as Russia and entire Central Asia. Russia and Tajikistan are working to provide $1.2 billion Russian arms to Tajikistan in order to prevent Islamic State from seizing control of the country. There are chances that Russia may provide more intelligence support to Tajikistan to takcle with ISIS and Taliban influence because instable Central Asia will be very dangerous to Russia. It may be mentioned that million of Tajiki go to Russia for work and can spread violence and terrorists linkages within Russia also. Russian intelligence consider Syria war as Terrorists academy allegedly sponsored by Arab world and USA.
Halimov commanded Police in Rasht Valley and Khorog in 2012 against local Islamist insurgency sponsored by Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. He has 3 children back at home. His family is shocked after receiving information of his being in Syria. His friends remind him as a “normal man” and claim they did not observe any change in his personality before he disappeared.
“He was introvert man. Punctual to his duty and honest to his job. He is a very good fighter when he is leading any group”, said one of his former colleague
In a YouTube video message released on May 27, he explains that he joined ISIS to protest increasing restrictions on religious freedom at home in Tajikistan and to kill Americans within America.
Intelligence sources claim that he is leading recruitment wing of ISIS for hiring Russian speaking population particularly youth from Central Asia and Eastern Europe.
In his video he explained philosophy behind his decision and said that he spent 19 years. He was a young man when Tajikistan got independence from former USSR and then country indulged in civil war and became hub of Jihadis coming from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and other gulf states.
In the ten-minute video message, for Colonel of Police Halimov said that he led Tajikistan’s paramilitary police unit (OMON). And he was trained in United States in 2003 and 2007 to fight against terrorists. He claimed he got training from U.S. Army and defense contractor Blackwater.
“I came to America three times. I saw how you train people to kill Muslims. I will come with this gun to your home and kill you,” he said in his message.
“All Tajiks, including those in Russia, should join IS and fight the regime of Emomali Rahmon”, he added.
He is not happy with ban on Hijab in Tajikistan and claimed that Interior Ministry paid prostitutes 10 dollars each to appear in hijabs in a recent video that state media used to discredit Islam.
“You passed a law prohibiting prayer on the streets. But God says you can pray anywhere,” said Halimov who appealed his country fellows to over throw President Rahmon.
Interior Ministry is salient over this video that appeared on You Tube and said that “it cannot be independently confirmed as authentic”.
Video has been taken down from YouTube by Friday.
Afghan Taliban are trying to enter Tajikistan since the beginning of year 2015 and Afghan-Tajik border has become vulnerable. Any Islamic movement within Tajikistan will help Radical Islamists to create unrest in Tajikistan that has a long history of civil war and Islamisation. Situation is killing tourism sector in Tajikistan as all important outbound companies from west are excluding Tajikistan from tours. It may be mentioned that Tajikistan being the poorest country in Central Asia was depending upon tourism in past but now it is loosing hopes in this sector of economy.
