KYRGYZSTAN UNDER THE SPECTER OF ISLAMIC MILITANTS

Because
of the awaited incursions of Islamic militants, the evacuation of local people
from high mountain areas of the Batken province of Kyrgyzstan have begun.
Servicemen of the Ministry of Extreme Situations have already moved the first
group of settlers, which includes 4 families of shepherds and 300 sheep, from
the most remote pastures of the province to a more secure place. 
The Ministry of Extreme Situations does not exclude the possibility of
resettling several thousand locals from the six most dangerous ‘breakthrough
areas’ of the Kyrgyz-Tajik border. Last year, in the heat of the battle
against Islamic militants, about 80 families of shepherds were evacuated from
high mountain pastures.

Meanwhile
the militants of the Islamic extremist organization ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’ have
increased their oral propaganda in southern Kyrgyzstan. In an interview to the
correspondent of RFE/RL, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kalmurat
Sadiev said that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan recently
detained a person in Jalalabad who was disseminating more than 2000 leaflets
among the local citizens and calling for the overthrow of the constitutional
system. Earlier, activists of ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’ had been disseminating
leaflets and appeals only in Kyrgyz and Uzbek but now they are distributing
them also in Russian. According to the regional police department of the
Jalalabad province, they have recently detained two more activists of
‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’ with leaflets in Russian.  

The
emissaries of this extremist organization are active not only in the southern
part of the country but they are now appearing in the north as well, according
to the Chairman of the National Security Service Bolot Januzakov, speaking at
a meeting with journalists. He said that in early May his officials detained
some people in Tokmok, who were engaged in the same activities as their
accomplices in the south. Up until now, the competent services of the country
have detected and arrested over 50 members of ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’.  

Sadiev
said that the number of people spreading the ideas of extremist organizations
among the locals is increasing and the Ministry of Internal Affairs is taking
all possible measures to prevent such actions from taking place. 
However, the measures taken are not bringing about the desired results. 
According to the Deputy Minister, the reason for their ineffectiveness
is that Kyrgyz law regarding such cases is too soft, and prevents criminals
from receiving the punishment they deserve. Sadiev added that the Ministry of
Internal Affairs recently addressed the Jogorku Kenesh (Kyrgyz Parliament)
with a proposal to make changes to Kyrgyz legislation. ‘However, the Jogorku
Kenesh has not considered the proposal yet’, he added.

Apart
from ‘Hizb-ut-Tahrir’, the representatives of the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan are also carrying out active propaganda in Kyrgyzstan. In the last
two years, Kyrgyzstan was invaded by Islamic militants and had to repel their
attacks. Year by year the attacks are becoming more and more embittered and
have caused a lot of trouble to the Kyrgyz military forces as well as to the
local population. Military trainings and operations have had negative effects
on the development of the country’s economy. Only last year, the Kyrgyz army
spent about $30 million to the repulse the militant attack. Military actions
have directly affected the lives of the locals as well. Farmers in the
southern regions of the country stopped cultivating land and grazing their
livestock in border areas.  Hence
the local people are losing their main source of income and in this situation
they are becoming the most vulnerable part of the population. 

By
Gulzina
Karym Kyzy