Several Islamist organizations are strengthening their positions in southern Afghanistan. The Taliban and the Khorasan Islamic State are fighting for the reestablishment of the Islamic caliphate. Uzbekistan and Tajikistan would also be in danger.
Moscow () – The Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior warns of the risk of a resurgence of the extremist and terrorist threat in Central Asia: the groups are reorganizing to commit new attacks in several countries in the region. According to the information in Bishkek’s possession, various armed and illegal organizations are reinforcing their positions in southern Afghanistan and as they expand, they intend to conquer new outposts.
According to a director of the Kyrgyz service for Combating Extremism and Illegal Immigration, Manas Amanbaev, the Taliban and the Islamic State (former Isis) “Khorasan” are apparently in a phase of great activism and intend to revive the idea of a caliphate Islamic: “In Kyrgyzstan there are up to 20 illegal international groups, and a radical Islamic sect, which have great support from the Taliban. They have Khorasan as adversaries, and their activities could lead to serious dangers for our state.”
Amanbaev points out that the recent events in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are indicative: there have been pro-independence uprisings that can also be interpreted as regurgitations of Islamic radicalism, since “they act against the secular principles of the Central Asian states, and their constitutional values”.
No precise figures or information are given about the members of these terrorist organizations, but it is stated that the number of their followers is increasing. Uzbekistan has also pointed to the recent attacks in the city of Termez, with explosive charges probably fired from Afghanistan, which, although they did not explode when they fell to the ground, alerted the national security services. The representatives of the Kabul government tried to give guarantees that the authors of these attempted attacks would be arrested, but they are not very credible.
In April, armed attacks had already been reported in the Uzbek region of Surkhardarinsk: 10 rockets were launched from Afghan territory, but Tashkent never confirmed this information spread on social networks. Radio Golos Ameriki He had also mentioned the explosion of 10 rockets from an Afghan Isis Khorasan base that were launched in the direction of Termez. In fact, the sect has intensified its activities since the Taliban’s return to Kabul, seeking to mark its own autonomy in the region.
The former vice-president of the Kyrgyz Security Service, Artur Medetbekov, commented that the Taliban are increasingly exporting extremism and terrorism to the region: “Today there are more possibilities for communication, thanks to new technologies. This allows them to act anonymously to advance his plan to restore an Islamic state, similar to Afghanistan, in Central Asia. If I am not mistaken, we are running a great risk, and coordination among all states in the region will be essential to combat this insidiousness.”
The Kyrgyz Ministry of the Interior is cracking down on terrorist extremism, and several members of organizations suspected of organizing various attacks have been arrested recently. Two foreign nationals were arrested as they prepared to perform during the Muslim celebrations these days, and it was reported that they were terrorists from Syria, with false passports. Several Kyrgyz nationals were also detained on suspicion of terrorism, but no further details were provided.
Although there is no historical tradition of Islamic extremism in Kyrgyzstan, the situation seems quite unstable, and the Zogorku Kenesthe Bishkek Parliament, plans to pass new regulations “against extremist activities and ideologies and international terrorist organizations” in order to guarantee “the protection of the rights of individuals, freedom and constitutional principles”.
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