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August 18, 2006

Kyrgyzstan: Islamists Of Hizb ut-Tahrir Becoming More Militant

We reported on August 7 that a prominent cleric who allowed his mosque in southern Kyrgystan to be frequented by members of the extremist Islamic group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, was shot.

The cleric, Muhammadrafiq Kamalov, aka Rafiq Qori Kamoluddin, had earlier in the year been arrested and placed under surveillance from Kyrgystan's National Security Service (SNB) in May, suspected of involvement with radicals who had raided a checkpoint on the Kyrgyz border. His name and phone number had been found in a book belonging to one of those killed in the raid.

Kamoluddin had bragged that he allowed Hizb ut-Tahrir members to worship at his mosque, but said he did not allow them to disseminate their propaganda. Last month, it appeared that Hizb ut-Tahrir was becoming more active and insurgent in Kyrgyzstan.They had links with the terror group Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Kamoluddin's mosque, the Al-Sarahsiy Mosque in the southern city of Kara-Suu (Karasu), adjoining the Uzbek border, was regarded as a center of Islamic extremism. On August 6, a car was traveling through the adjacent city of Osh, and security officers of SNB were interested. An official said: "Around 10:30 p.m. on August 6, 2006, identified members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan were squeezed out of a densely populated district of Osh in order to avoid casualties among peaceful civilians. After that, officers of the Kyrgyz National Security Service attempted to stop the terrorists' white car, a Daewoo Nexia. However, the persons in the car did not follow [law-enforcement] demands and opened fire with automatic weapons. As a result of return fire, armed terrorists were destroyed by the National Security Service."

"When they searched their car, [security forces] found one AK-SU Kalashnikov automatic rifle, three full magazines, 266 cartridges, four RGD-5 hand grenades, one F-1 grenade, one RPK automatic rifle magazine, a road map of Uzbekistan where a number of locations were marked with the word 'jihad,' one pair of army binoculars, extremist religious literature in the Kyrgyz and Uzbek languages, and fake passports."

The imam of Al-Sarahsiy Mosque, Muhammadrafiq Kamalov, aka Rafiq Qori Kamoluddin (pictured below right), was among the dead, who were identified by SNB as members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

As expected, many of his worshippers have protested the cleric's innocence, and demonstrations were held.

Recently, the Hizb ut-Tahrir, which is illegal in Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Takikistan, as well as Russia, have been more active in the region, and their links with the terrorist group Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan more overt.

On Wednesday 16 August, the Russian news site Interfax-Religion stated that two Islamic extremists were detained in the country. In the Osh region, southern Kyrgyzstan, a member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was detained. A search of his house uncovered two F1 grenades. Also, there were "ten Kalashnikov assault rifle cartridges and a capsule with a detonator in his house," as well as "28 books, four CDs and two audio cassettes with recordings touting religious extremism were found as well. Two packages presumably containing 38 grams of heroin were also confiscated."

A press release also stated that: "More than 20 brochures and pamphlets of the Hizb ut-Tahrir party and eleven firearm cartridges were confiscated from a detainee in the town of Karasu, the Osh region, born in 1973."

Yesterday Interfax-Religion reported that a special operation by Kyrgyz law-enforcement agencies in the city of Kara-Suu, where Imam Kamoluddin had preached, and also in neighbouring villages, had uncovered more than 100 leaflets from the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir group.

The city of Osh's interior board press service stated: "Apart from the leaflets, the agencies confiscated CDs and audiotapes with radical religious materials and four computers. All confiscated materials have been handed over to the state agency for religious affairs for analysis. The operation was carried out on order of the Osh city Prosecutor's Office."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at August 18, 2006 1:04 AM

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