Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU; Uzbek: Ўзбекистон исломий ҳаракати/Oʻzbekiston islomiy harakati; Russian: Исламское движение Узбекистана) was a militant Islamist group formed in 1998 by Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev and former Soviet paratrooper Juma Namangani; both ethnic Uzbeks from the Fergana Valley. Its original objective was to overthrow President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan and create an Islamic state under Sharia; however, in subsequent years, it reinvented itself as an ally of Al-Qaeda. The group also maintained relations with Afghan Taliban in 1990s. However, later on, relations between the Afghan Taliban and the IMU started declining.
| Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) | |
|---|---|
Jihadist flags used by the IMU and after allegiance to ISIS | |
| Founders | Tohir Yoʻldosh † Juma Namangani † |
| Leaders | Tohir Yoʻldosh † Juma Namangani † Abu Usman Adil † Usman Ghazi † |
| Dates of operation | August 1998–2015 (with a faction continuing the IMU name and activities) |
| Split to | Islamic Jihad Union Faction which continued the IMU name and activities |
| Motives | Enforcement of Sharia in Uzbekistan and eventually a Central Asian Caliphate |
| Headquarters | Afghanistan |
| Active regions | Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan Northern Afghanistan Xinjiang region in China |
| Ideology | Current: Islamism Pan-Islamism Salafi Jihadism Anti-Zionism Historical: Anti-Islam Karimov |
| Size | 200–300 (after 2015) ~3,000 (2013) 500–1,000 (2004) |
| Part of | Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (since 2015) |
| Allies |
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| Opponents |
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| Battles and wars | Batken conflict Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
| Organization(s) | Islamic Movement of Turkestan (The government of Tajikistan claims to be an alias) |
| Designated as a terrorist group by | See Section |
Operating out of bases in Tajikistan and Taliban-controlled areas of northern Afghanistan, the IMU launched a series of raids into southern Kyrgyzstan in the years 1999 and 2000. The IMU suffered heavy casualties in 2001–2002 during the American-led invasion of Afghanistan. Namangani was killed, while Yuldeshev and many of the IMU's remaining fighters escaped with remnants of the Taliban to Waziristan, in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. The IMU then focused on fighting the Pakistan Forces in the Tribal Areas, and NATO and Afghan forces in northern Afghanistan.
In mid-2015, its leadership publicly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and announced that the IMU was part of the group's regional branch. In 2016, it was reported that a new faction of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan emerged after the group became part of ISIL. The new faction retained the group's name and was independent of ISIL. It has also indicated that it is loyal to al-Qaeda and the Taliban and shared their views against ISIL.