By: Christoph Germann- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Uyghurs, Gülenists in Kyrgyzstan
Other countries in the region share Beijing’s interests in this regard. This week, the Kyrgyz government was reminded that Uyghur terrorists could also become a problem for the neighboring ‘stans. One day after the violence in Xinjiang’s Aksu prefecture started with the attack on the police station, a group of Uyghurs, who had probably crossed the border from the Chinese side, rocked the boat in Kyrgyzstan’s adjacent Issyk-Kul province. The intruders broke into the hunters’ point in Pikertyk and killed the head of the hunters’ society of Issyk-Kul province, Alexander Barykin, allegedly shouting ‘Allahu Akhbar’ before they were eventually eliminated by Kyrgyz security forces:
11 militants killed by Kyrgyz troops near border with China
Kyrgyzstan’s border service says eleven militants have been killed by Kyrgyz troops near the border with China.
The border service chief said the militants, carrying hunting rifles and knives, were spotted in Pikertyk, some 40 kilometers from the border by a park ranger. The ranger was then brutally killed. Border guards located and surrounded the militants, but a gunfight ensued after they refused to surrender. All 11 gunmen were killed.
…
Initially there was some speculation whether the criminals were really Uyghur extremists or, for example, illegal poachers hunting for trophies like Marco Polo sheep. However, representatives of the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan identified the dead men as ethnic Uyghurs and according to the chairman of Kyrgyzstan’s border service, items found in their possession indicate that they were Uyghur separatists. The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry immediately issued a statement reaffirming its active cooperation with Beijing in the fight against “the three evil forces” and the incident was certainly discussed during the latest Kyrgyz-Chinese meeting:
China to provide military-technical assistance to Kyrgyzstan
Minister of Defense Taalaibek Omuraliev met with delegation of the National Liberation Army of China led by deputy chairman of Foreign Affairs Office of the Ministry of National Defense of China Tzy Govei.
During the meeting, Minister of Defense of Kyrgyzstan thanked the Chinese side for the rendered military- technical assistance and confirmed the intention of the Ministry of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic to boost military cooperation with China.
…
Since China prefers stable Central Asian neighbors, Kyrgyzstan’s weak military is being supported with some Chinese military aid. But the delegation of the People’s Liberation Army was not the only noteworthy delegation visiting Bishkek this week:
Economy Minister of Kyrgyzstan Temir Sariev met with an official delegation of Turkic – American Alliance, where the issues of trade and economic cooperation were discussed.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Economy of the KR, the delegation included President of Turkic – American alliance Faruk Taban and president of the Turkish- American Federation of Midwest USA Suleiman Turhan.
…
The Turkic-American Alliance (TAA) (formerly Assembly of Turkic American Federations) is a leading Turkish-American umbrella organization with more than 200 member organizations and part of CIA puppet Fethullah Gülen’s vast network. Right now, the same shady network is trying to topple Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, while Morton Abramowitz, one of Gülen’s main CIA handlers, and fellow Zionist operatives are urging the Obama Administration to expedite the proceedings. Kyrgyz officials should know from personal experience that Gülen-affiliated organizations and institutions cannot be trusted [emphasis mine]:
One of the attending Gulen school owners owned and operated 18 schools for Gulen in Uzbekistan. The CIA operation disguised under ‘Teaching English’ at these 18 schools in Uzbekistan consisted of 70 CIA operatives, operating under a project named ‘Friendship Bridge’ (Operation Code Name). The operatives also submitted reports to a certain arm of the Pentagon.
The same operation (name not mentioned) had 60 American-CIA operatives as English teachers in Kyrgyzstan; again carrying US Diplomatic Passports.
…
Qatar, IMU Target Tajikistan
But some people are apparently either not willing to learn from their mistakes or more interested in money. Speaking of which, Tajikistan still wants to strengthen its ties with the House of Thani despite the latter’s role in facilitating the Islamization of the Central Asian country. Dushanbe and Doha are expected to sign a security cooperation agreement and of course the Qatari regime offers to help with education as well [emphasis mine]:
Tajikistan, Qatar to boost bilateral education cooperation
Tajik Minister of Education and Science Nouriddin Saidov yesterday met here with Qatari Ambassador to Tajikistan Ali bin Mubarak Saeed Al-Muhanadi.
According to the Ministry of Education and Science (MoES) press center, the sides discussed issues related to expansion of bilateral education cooperation between the two countries.
Qatari ambassador reportedly noted that Tajik students could study at prestigious Qatari universities in Doha.
…
After Emomalii Rahmon had criticized a few years ago that foreign religious schools are indoctrinating Tajik students, the Tajik authorities have urged parents to bring their children back home. So it will be interesting to see how Dushanbe reacts to this proposal. Considering Qatar’s tack record in recruiting fighters for jihad in Syria and Rahmon’s fear of battle-tested terrorists continuing their activities in Tajikistan, the decision ought to be easy:
Five Tajiks Sentenced For Fighting In Syria
Tajikistan’s Supreme Court has sentenced five of the country’s citizens to around two years in jail for fighting on the side of antigovernment forces in Syria.
Tajikistan’s State Committee for National Security said on December 24 that the five were students at the Syrian International University who decided to join Syrian rebel forces.
All five were detained in October when they returned to Tajikistan.
…
The presence of several Tajik fighters among the al-Qaeda mercenaries of the NATO-GCC-Israel axis is nothing new but they are now getting younger and younger. Tajikistan’s secular government tries to curb the influence of religion on the youth by banning minors from mosques. Video cameras have been installed in all Friday and central mosques across the country to enforce the controversial law. However, if the Tajik authorities continue to cooperate with the House of Thani in the field of education, they will need more video cameras. During the 27th International Islamic Unity Conference last weekend in Tehran, the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRP) warned against extremists replacing moderate forces in the Muslim world. It is unclear whether he was alluding to Qatar’s interest in Tajik education or the situation in southern Tajikistan:
Islamic Extremists Gain Ground in Tajik South
The ease with which Islamic radical groups in Tajikistan are recruiting new members indicates that the policy of arresting as many suspects as possible is not working, local analysts say.
Police in the south of Tajikistan say they are seeing a rise in recruitment by banned groups like the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and Jamaat Ansarullah.
…
Jamaat Ansarullah is a splinter group of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and both groups made headlines when they tried to disrupt the sham elections in Tajikistan. The IMU is the Central Asian version of NATOGCC’s various al-Qaeda brigades and has already singled out China as its “number one enemy”. Journalist, author and ex-militant Ahmed Rashid, who previously highlighted the success of the IMU in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, is apparently convinced that the terrorist group has a great future ahead of it [emphasis mine]:
Central Asian states must unite to halt the spread of jihadism
Fears for the stability of central Asia have increased, with reports that the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan is establishing bases along the Afghan border. With its allies, which include al-Qaeda and the Taliban, it is preparing to inject more fighters into the country once the Americans leave. Pakistani militants keep the IMU generously supplied with arms, money and recruits.
The group already has bases around the northern Afghan city of Kunduz. However, developments in Badakhshan province in the country’s northeast – separated from Tajikistan only by the narrow Panj river – now point to an even greater threat to security in the region. Hundreds of IMU are trying to occupy several districts in Badakhshan, a vast area in the Pamir and Hindu Kush mountain ranges. From here the tip of southern Tajikistan, Pakistan’s northwestern border and eastern Afghanistan are all within striking distance. The next step would be for militants to secure the entire northeastern corridor of Afghanistan, which would provide a major operational base.
…
Christoph Germann- BFP Contributing Author & Analyst
Christoph Germann is an independent analyst and researcher based in Germany, where he is currently studying political science. His work focuses on the New Great Game in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. You can visit his website here
– See more at: http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2014/01/26/the-new-great-game-round-up-january-26-2014/#sthash.sarWpSQ6.dpuf