Expert: Kazakhstan has become a terminal base for militants of Uzbekistan Islamic Movement

Expert on geopolitical problems of Central Asia Vitaliy Volkov. ©Zhuldyz Seisenbekova

Kazakhstan has been playing a role of rear rest area for militants of the Uzbekistan Islamic Movement (UIM), which is planning to use them for defeating Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russian Caucasus, Tengrinews.kz reports citing an expert on geopolitical problems of Central Asia and observer of the German Wave radio Vitaliy Volkov. Volkov shared his vision on the situation in Kazakhstan at the press-conference in Almaty that covered threats of religious extremism in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. “When the country exists outside of deep ideas, people start searching for these ideas. Currently Kazakhstan has real perspectives to become a border country between continents with European and Talib mentalities. Those looking for fairness frequently come to Talibs in their search and then, hypnotized, they do the things that you could see in the West of your country. This is called “resonance” terrorist act,” he said. “There is information that heads of newly formed Islamic underground resistance, acting on the base of UIM in Kyrgyzstan, have strong positions and are ready for military actions. This new UIM has many militants from Caucasus and other areas of Russia. It has been actively joined by people from Kazakhstan,” Volkov said. Volkov, as well as other analysts think that Islamists have no point in destabilizing the situation in Kazakhstan yet, because the country has only been a terminal base for militants. However, the situation may change radically. According to Volkov, UIM has changed its strategy. There is no information on the reasons for such change. But the ones, who stand behind the events in Aktobe and Balkhash prison, were acting independently, in order to attract supporters for active operations outside Kazakhstan, the analyst said. Volkov thinks that creation of a state-supported idea that would not contradict with religious or national interest could be a preventive measure against the spread of extremism. Lack of the national idea is one of the reasons of appearance and enhancement of extremism, he explained. By Zhuldyz Seisenbekova

Kazakhstan has been playing a role of rear rest area for militants of the Uzbekistan Islamic Movement (UIM), which is planning to use them for defeating Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Russian Caucasus, Tengrinews.kz reports citing an expert on geopolitical problems of Central Asia and observer of the German Wave radio Vitaliy Volkov. Volkov shared his vision on the situation in Kazakhstan at the press-conference in Almaty that covered threats of religious extremism in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. “When the country exists outside of deep ideas, people start searching for these ideas. Currently Kazakhstan has real perspectives to become a border country between continents with European and Talib mentalities. Those looking for fairness frequently come to Talibs in their search and then, hypnotized, they do the things that you could see in the West of your country. This is called “resonance” terrorist act,” he said. “There is information that heads of newly formed Islamic underground resistance, acting on the base of UIM in Kyrgyzstan, have strong positions and are ready for military actions. This new UIM has many militants from Caucasus and other areas of Russia. It has been actively joined by people from Kazakhstan,” Volkov said. Volkov, as well as other analysts think that Islamists have no point in destabilizing the situation in Kazakhstan yet, because the country has only been a terminal base for militants. However, the situation may change radically. According to Volkov, UIM has changed its strategy. There is no information on the reasons for such change. But the ones, who stand behind the events in Aktobe and Balkhash prison, were acting independently, in order to attract supporters for active operations outside Kazakhstan, the analyst said. Volkov thinks that creation of a state-supported idea that would not contradict with religious or national interest could be a preventive measure against the spread of extremism. Lack of the national idea is one of the reasons of appearance and enhancement of extremism, he explained. By Zhuldyz Seisenbekova

terrorism Kazakhstan Kazakh extremist