Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

Activities: The IJU primarily operates against American and ISAF Forces in Afghanistan and
continues to pose a threat to Central Asia. The group claimed responsibility for attacks in March
and April 2004, targeting police at several roadway checkpoints and at a popular bazaar, killing
approximately 47 people, including 33 IJU members, some of whom were suicide bombers. In
July 2004, the group carried out near-simultaneous suicide bombings of the Uzbek Prosecutor
General’s office and the U.S. and Israeli Embassies in Tashkent. In September 2007, German
authorities disrupted an IJU plot to attack U.S. military bases and personnel by detaining and
prosecuting three IJU operatives, including two German citizens. Foreign fighters from
Germany, Turkey, and elsewhere in Europe continued to travel to the Afghan-Pakistan border
area to join the IJU to fight against U.S. and Coalition Forces. In 2012, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation arrested a number of Americans attempting to travel to Turkey to join the IJU.
Strength: 100-200 members.
Location/Area of Operation: Based in Pakistan, IJU members are also scattered throughout
Central Asia, Europe, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Funding and External Aid: Unknown
aka IMU
ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBEKISTAN
Description: Designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on September 25, 2000, the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan’s (IMU) goal is to overthrow the Uzbek government and establish an
Islamic state. For most of the past decade, however, the group recruited members from other
Central Asian states and Europe and has focused on fighting in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The
IMU has a relationship with al-Qa’ida, the Taliban, and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan. In April
2012, IMU leader Abu Usman Adil died and Usman Ghazi was named the group’s new leader.
IMU’s leadership cadre remains based in Pakistan's Taliban-controlled North Waziristan and
operates primarily along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and in northern Afghanistan. Top IMU
leaders have integrated themselves into the Taliban's shadow government in Afghanistan’s
northern provinces. Operating in cooperation with each other, the Taliban and IMU have
expanded their presence throughout northern Afghanistan and have established training camps in
the region.
Activities: Since the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom, the IMU has been
predominantly focused on attacks against U.S. and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan. In late 2009,
NATO forces reported an increase in IMU-affiliated foreign fighters in Afghanistan. In 2010, the
IMU continued to fight in Afghanistan and the group claimed credit for the September 19
ambush that killed 25 Tajik troops in Tajikistan. On October 15, 2011, IMU claimed
responsibility for a suicide assault on a U.S.-led Provincial Reconstruction Team base in the
Afghan province of Panjshir that killed two Afghan civilians and wounded two security guards.
In March 2012, five suspected IMU members were convicted of killing a soldier in Tajikistan.
In April, a Tajikistan court convicted 34 alleged members of the IMU for attacks in Kairakkum,
attacks at a border post in Isfara, the murder of several police officers, and facilitating a suicide
attack against security forces in Khujand. An October 2012 IMU video showed an attack and the
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