TA-ATTACKS: Homocide Bombers kill 19 in Uzbekistan

It is being reported that a series of bombings and homicide bombings in Uzbekistan are linked to Al-Qaeda.
19 people were killed and 26 injured when a female suicide bomber carried out an attack in a busy market. There were also attacks on police and an explosion in a alledged bomb making factory. Hizb ut-Tahrir is claiming responsibility for the attacks. It is important to note that Pakistan has claimed that the high level Al-Qaeda target in the Wajiristan province was an Uzbekistan terror leader.

Official: 19 Killed, 26 Wounded in Uzbek Terror Attacks, Explosion at Bomb-Making Factory
"A preliminary investigation shows all the events are interconnected and aimed at destabilization of the country," Prosecutor-General Rashid Kadyrov said after the attacks in the Central Asian country Sunday and Monday.President Islam Karimov said the attacks had been planned at least six months in advance and had been originally set to take place before the March 21 Central Asian new year holiday Navruz. The operation's planning and financing indicated it had outside support, he said.
"As the president, I promise all measures will be taken to stop such terrorist acts," Karimov said on state TV in a Russian translation of remarks in Uzbek, adding that citizens should remain alert.

Known terrorist groups in Uzbekistan:
HIZB UT-TAHRIR whose Arabic name means Party of Liberation, was founded in 1953 in the Middle East. It disavows violence to win believers, but its organizing principles don't rule out violence to achieve the final aim of creating a worldwide Muslim state. The group is banned across formerly Soviet Central Asia, where its most visible activity has previously been to distribute leaflets calling for a world ruled by Shariah, or Islamic law.

WAHHABIS are adherents of the austere Islamic sect dominant in Saudi Arabia, which is believed to have inspired terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden. Based on a literal translation of the Quran, Wahhabism casts the adherents of even other Muslim sects or religions as atheists, polytheists or infidels. It has attracted many followers in formerly Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus region, including Chechen rebels.

The ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBEKISTAN is a group that seeks to overthrow the secular government of the former Soviet republic. The group allegedly orchestrated a failed 1999 bombing attack on Uzbek President Islam Karimov that killed at least 16. It was declared a terrorist group by the United States in September 2000 after the kidnapping of four American mountain climbers in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan. However, it is believed to have been seriously weakened by the U.S.-led anti-terrorism operations in Afghanistan. The group's political leader, Tahir Yuldash, was reported wounded in recent fighting with Pakistani government forces near the Afghan border.

Other Sources:
Many dead in Uzbekistan bombings
Nineteen Killed in Uzbek Terror Attacks
Uzbekistan Terror Groups


[Edited on 3-29-2004 by worldwatcher]

[Edited on 30-3-2004 by Banshee]

In London, where Hizb-ut-Tahrir operates openly, the group denied responsibility.

searching for confirmation of their denial.

I did a thread a few months back about Uzbekistan and the likely increase in Islamic terrorism from and in the area.
The Uzbek people themselves have a very negative view of the U.S as well as their own government, not least since the U.S paid their brutal dictator $500 million dollars to establish a base there for the duration of activities in Afghanistan, and the U.S State Department subsequently became conspicuous by their silence on the regimes activities when before they had been quite vocal. These groups are likely to have quite a lot of support in the country as not many Uzbeks are enamoured with the government. This attack could signal that they have a heightened level of organisation and perhaps ability to attack outside the country as well as within IMHO. They share the same �death to America� attitude as Middle Eastern Islamic militants.




[Edited on 29-3-2004 by kegs]