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Beyond the Usual Suspects
A number of radical Islamic groups are operating in Central Asia and the Caucasus regions, on the territory of the former Soviet Union. They share commitment to the most military form of Islam with their Middle Eastern counterparts, and in some instances receive financial and personnel support from the same sources in the Arab world. However, for the most part, the groups in Central Asia and the Caucasus have radically different goals, focusing on domestic issues such as imposition of religious law, rather than fight against the United States. There is no evidence that any of the groups operating in the former Soviet Union were involved in the Sept. 11 terrorist strike against Washington and New York. Their ties to the suspects in these attacks are, at best, circumstantial. The relationship may change if Western military and diplomatic pressure makes the Middle East unsuitable as a harbor for terrorist groups. If forced to seek new areas of operation, Central Asia's valleys, relatively free of control by the de jure governments of the region, could offer a natural sanctuary. Such relocation of the Middle Eastern groups would also likely tighten their links with indigenous radical Islamists. The forced exile of a number of the Central Asian militants to Afghanistan has already led to increased cooperation, with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan reportedly operating an office and training camps in Afghanistan.
IMU was responsible for several attacks and hostage-takings on the territory of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Most regional observers agree that the IMU emerged primarily as a response to the Uzbek government's crackdown on some Islamic institutions. The group draws support from among the republic's youth, dissatisfied with pervasive corruption in the country, its extreme poverty, and the government's hostile stance toward non-sanctioned Islamic institutions. As some of its supporters were driven into exile in Afghanistan, the IMU established increasingly stronger links there, reportedly opening an office in Kabul and operating training camps in the country.
Some elements of the fighters in Chechnya have close links to fundamentalist groups in the Middle East and a number of fighters in their ranks come from that region. A vast majority of fighters opposing the Russian military are local, but fundamentalist influence, not native to Chechnya, has grown stronger since the end of the last Chechen war in 1996. The schism led to a number of conflicts within Chechnya itself between the radical Islamists and more secular forces. As the religious influence grew, the goals of some of the fighters changed correspondingly. The first conflict was a war for independence while the recent fighting began when a group of ethnic Dagestanis and Chechens attacked Dagestan from Chechnya; with the declared purpose of creating an Islamic government on the territory of the two republics.
No longer active, the UTO began in the early 1990s as a loose group of Islamic and nationalist organizations opposing the communist government of Tajikistan. During the Tajik civil war of 1992-1997, the movement coalesced and radicalized, especially after many had been forced into exile in northern Afghanistan where they linked up with local mujahidin forces. There are conflicting reports on UTO's association with the IMU, with observers linking them to IMU's military operations, which is strongly denied by some UTO leaders. The groups has been largely inactive since the peace accord of 1997 allowed it to join the Tajik government.
By Tomas Valasek
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