| Submit your comments on this article |
| Central Asia |
| Kazakh authorities turning the microscope on Hizb-ut-Tahrir |
| 2004-09-05 |
| Hidden past the Korean-made washing machines and cheap winter jackets that draw traders to the sprawling bazaar in this border town lies what Uzbek authorities claim is a terror haven in the heart of Central Asia, a shelter for militants who have shaken the region this year with its first-ever suicide attacks. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev warned on Wednesday that a radical Islamic group -- Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which the Uzbeks claim is the driving force behind attacks this year that have killed more than 50 -- is stepping up activity in this oil-rich nation. One base of their activity appears to be the southern Kazakh city of Shymkent, where detentions of alleged extremists have picked up since the July 30 triple suicide bombings in the Uzbek capital, Tashkent. The attacks on the U.S. and Israeli embassies and top prosecutor's office killed at least four Uzbek security officers. The exact numbers of arrests aren't known, given security officials' reluctance to acknowledge extremists are finding refuge here. The suicide bombings came after violence earlier this year that left at least 47 dead, mostly alleged militants, who Uzbek authorities claim traveled from southern Kazakhstan through Azerbaijan and Iran to terror camps in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas -- the same region where Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding -- where they were trained by Arab al-Qaida instructors. The Kazakh security service recently has acknowledged it is working with its Uzbek colleagues to investigate several people in connection with the July attacks, after initially claiming there were no connections to Kazakhstan. But in a bizarre twist to the investigation that hasn't yet been fully explained, an Uzbek police officer involved in the investigations was found dead with gunshot wounds in the chest in a Shymkent sauna. It's not hard in this city of 700,000 people to find followers of secretive Hizb ut-Tahrir. Abdullah, a tall ethnic Russian wearing a matching white shirt and trousers, doesn't appear the image of a radical Islamic leader, often pausing his conversation to answer his mobile phone. But his calls are about the fate of eight Hizb-ut-Tahrir members arrested Aug. 5, because Abdullah said Uzbek police traced the explosives used in the latest suicide attacks to their hometown of Saryagash, 20 miles north of Tashkent just over the Kazakh border. Abdullah, who gave only his first name, denied his party's involvement in the attacks or that it had links with militant groups. A convert to Islam 10 years ago, he became a member of the group in 1998. Hizb ut-Tahrir seeks to create a world governed by Islamic law, but claims to seek that goal through non-violent means and hasn't previously been linked to terrorism. The group has denied involvement in the Uzbek attacks. Still, Abdullah said all groups are "brothers." "We can talk with them: we have (the) same aims," said Abdullah, 31, who wears a beard. "But we use absolutely different methods to achieve them. We'll never chose a militant path." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |