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EURASIA INSIGHT

SKIRMISHES SUGGEST IMU IS CHANGING TACTICS
Arslan Koichiev 8/06/01

Skirmishes this summer involving Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) fighters indicate the militants are trying new tactics during the third summer of their insurgency, according to observers and officials in Kyrgyzstan. IMU loyalists have apparently infiltrated Kyrgyzstan and settled among the local population. They are intent on conducting hit-and-run raids from within the country, aiming to embroil Kyrgyzstan in a broader regional conflict.

In contrast to previous years, this summer’s raids by the IMU have occurred nearer to Kyrgyz-Uzbek border regions. A late July attack, launched by up to a dozen IMU fighters, helps illustrate the tactical shift. The insurgents, seeking to occupy a TV transmitter station, attacked a Kyrgyz post near the Chauvay, about 30 kilometers (roughly 20 miles) from the Kyrgyz town of Kyzyl-Kiya. After a firefight lasting several hours, government troops repulsed the attack. But instead of retreating to the mountains as they might have in previous years, the militants withdrew to the village Uch-Kurgan, whose inhabitants are mostly ethnic Tajiks. Apparently militants took refuge among them disguising themselves as locals, sources said. Information was not immediately available on whether either side suffered casualties.

This year’s first reported encounter between the IMU and Kyrgyz government forces, occurring July 24-25 at the Gomush Pass, also provided indications that militants are operating inside the country. In that incident, a military outpost near the town of Haidarken came under attack, while other government installations near the Kyrgyz-Tajik border did not report any activity. As in the Chauvay attack, IMU militants involved in the action at Gomush Pass reportedly mingled among local civilians.

The Kyrgyz military insists that it is tightly guarding border regions. To evade the government counter-terrorism efforts, some observers suggest that IMU militants have been penetrating the Ferghana Valley, either individually or in small groups. Widespread sympathy for their cause among local inhabitants has helped IMU insurgents evade detection. Whatever the case, Kyrgyz officials quietly admit that militants are operating in the interior of Kyrgyzstan.

�’[IMU] militants are deep inside of our territory,’’ said one Defense Ministry official.

Recognition by Kyrgyz officials that the IMU threat comes from within the country has helped to bolster relations between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Until recently, Bishkek had accused the Tajik government of sheltering IMU fighters and abetting insurgent raids. Dushanbe had always vigorously denied the charges.

On July 27, a joint Kyrgyz-Tajik delegation carried out a joint inspection of border areas, during which officials found no evidence of IMU bases on Tajik territory. The Kyrgyz government has ceased its complaints about Tajikistan’s IMU role. Nevertheless, some in the Kyrgyz military continue to believe that the IMU is utilizing advanced bases in Tajikistan. "It’s almost impossible to spot well-hidden bases in high mountains, they definitely wouldn’t wait for outside inspectors to come and find them easily. They are highly mobile," one Kyrgyz general told EurasiaNet.

Tajik President Imomali Rahmonov has sought to restore trust in bilateral relations, promising to overhaul the political and military leadership in any areas of Tajikistan where the IMU is confirmed to be operating. Keeping such a pledge would be difficult for Rahmonov, however. Warlords who operate largely beyond the influence of Rahmonov’s government, and who are friendly with IMU leader Juma Namangani, control many of the areas in Tajikistan reportedly utilized by the IMU.

Meanwhile, officials say that in conjunction with the IMU’s military action, the activities of other radical Islamic movements, in particular the Hizb-ut-Tahrir, has intensified in the Ferghana Valley. There is no evidence that the IMU and Hizb-ut-Tahrir are coordinating activities.

The intentions of the IMU to transfer its military operations in Batken from mountains to lowland areas indicate that the militants hope to entangle Kyrgyzstan in a bigger regional conflict. During the previous two summer campaigns the IMU claimed that its fighters clashed with Kyrgyz soldiers because they blocked their way into Uzbekistan. Able to reach Uzbekistan unspotted by other routes this year, they have targeted Kyrgyz posts deliberately, say local observers. The militants view Kyrgyzstan not solely as a corridor to Uzbekistan, but also as a military objective in its own right.

Editor�s Note: Arslan Koichiev is a freelance journalist who specializes in Central Asian affairs.

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