Friday, May 11, 2012 -
Tajik authorities arrested three individuals suspected of membership in the outlawed Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), officials said on Thursday.
One of the men, 39-year-old Zilmurod Ishakhanov, is believed to be an IMU ‘commander’ for the Kubodiyen region.
The other two are 22 and 23 years old. One is a graduate of the Tajik-Russian Slavic University.
All three were arrested in the Kizil Nishon village, located in the Kubodiyen region of Tajikistan’s southernmost province Khatlon. The province shares an 800-mile, poorly guarded border with Afghanistan, which has seen an influx of IMU militants in the past decade of warfare.
The three men have all been charged with membership in an extremist organization and membership in a criminal group.
Tajik authorities were able to find the suspects thanks to the information provided by a Tajik national, who was extradited from Pakistan and arrested by Tajik law enforcement agents last week for similar crimes.
Other men from the village are also being sought as members of the illegal organization.