Islamic Jihad Union
The Islamic Jihad Union (IJU; Arabic: اتحاد الجهاد الإسلامي, romanized: Ittiḥad al-Jihad al-Islāmī) is a militant Islamist organization founded in 2002 as a splinter group of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Headquartered in North Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan, the group has been affiliated with both Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
| Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) | |
|---|---|
Flag of the Islamic Jihad Union in Uzbekistan | |
| Leaders | Najmiddin Jalolov † Abu Omar al-Turkistani † Akhtar Mansour † Ilimbek Mamatov |
| Dates of operation | 2002–present |
| Split from | Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan |
| Allegiance | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (since 2015) |
| Headquarters | North Waziristan |
| Ideology |
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| Size | 200-250 in Afghanistan (2023) |
| Allies |
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| Opponents | |
| Battles and wars | Global War on Terrorism War in Afghanistan
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Under its original name Islamic Jihad Group (IJG; Arabic: جماعة الجهاد الاسلامي, romanized: Jama'at al-Jihad al-Islāmī), the group conducted several attacks in Uzbekistan. In 2007, a large-scale bomb plot in Germany, known as the "Sauerland terror cell", was discovered by German security authorities. In the following years, the group focused on fighting Pakistani forces in the tribal areas, and NATO and Afghan forces in Afghanistan.
Recruits are mainly Turks both from Turkey and the Turkish communities in Western Europe, but also European converts to Islam, particularly in German-speaking countries.