Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

KYRGYZSTAN
Overview: 2012 was a year of relative stability in Kyrgyzstan following the inauguration of
President Almazbek Atambayev in December 2011, which marked the first democratic transfer
of presidential power in the nation’s history. There were no reported terrorist attacks in
Kyrgyzstan in 2012 and no large-scale inter-ethnic clashes. Kyrgyz security forces, however,
conducted continuing special operations against individuals allegedly affiliated with terrorist
organizations. The Kyrgyz government remained attuned to the potential for terrorism and was
involved in numerous international cooperative counterterrorism efforts.
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: With funding from Embassy Bishkek’s
Export Control and Related Border Security Assistance (EXBS) office, the Kyrgyz government
constructed several border guard towers along the country’s southern border with Tajikistan.
EXBS worked with Kyrgyzstan’s Border Guards to utilize more modern border surveillance
techniques and equipment, including ground sensors, and also funded training programs for
Kyrgyzstan’s Customs Services to improve pedestrian, passenger, and vehicle inspection. The
Kyrgyz government does not gather biometric data at its border posts.
In 2012, the State Committee for National Security (GKNB), the main government organization
tasked with counterterrorism, arrested several individuals based on their alleged connections to
terrorist organizations. Throughout the year, the GKNB periodically arrested alleged members of
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which the Kyrgyz government designated as a terrorist organization in 2003. The
GKNB claimed to discover extremist materials during the arrests.
There was positive U.S. cooperation with Kyrgyzstan’s main counterterrorism bodies – the
GKNB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). The GKNB and MVD proactively notified
the United States about possible security threats to the U.S. military-operated Transit Center at
Manas International Airport and to the U.S. Embassy, usually in the form of protests. They
deployed a relatively large number of troops along Bishkek’s main thoroughfare (on which the
Embassy is located) to deter large crowds from gathering at the Embassy.
Deterrents to more effective host government law enforcement measures against terrorism
included rivalry and a lack of coordination between the GKNB and the MVD, as well as
budgetary constraints which resulted in a lack of modern military and law enforcement
equipment. Inefficient bureaucratic structures left over from the Soviet era, as well as low
salaries and frequent personnel turnover hampered law enforcement efforts. Kyrgyz
counterterrorist units remained largely untested in combat situations.
In September, the President signed an order making the Border Service independent from the
GKNB. While this move may have some institutional benefits for the Border Service, it created
another independent security service competing for resources. Bureaucratic friction is likely to
weaken cooperation between the GKNB and the Border Service.
Kyrgyzstan continued to participate in the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance
program, which provided training to help Kyrgyz law enforcement deter, detect, and respond to
terrorist activities.
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