TAJIKISTAN: 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS DUSHANBE 001445 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, NCTC, INL, S/CT PLEASE PASS TO RSHORE AND NCTC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER PREL ASEC TI SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: 2009 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM ¶1. (SBU) Following is the submission from U.S. Embassy Dushanbe for Tajikistan's Country Report on Terrorism: ¶2. (U) Tajikistan's security forces confronted and neutralized members of extremist groups in Tavildara district in spring and summer 2009. Government forces killed several suspected members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU),while other extremists fled the area as a result of counterterrorism operations by the government from May to August. The extremists had infiltrated from Afghanistan and, reportedly, from Russia. Tajikistani security forces also fought extremists near Dushanbe and in northern Tajikistan, as well as on the border with Kyrgyzstan. ¶3. (U) While security forces were able to defeat the incursion in Tavildara, they continued to suffer from lack of resources. Border Guards and other services lacked appropriate technical equipment, transport resources, personnel, and training to interdict illegal border crossings, detect and analyze hazardous substances effectively and quickly respond to incursions. Pervasive corruption and low wages also undermined the motivation of security force members to interdict smugglers or traffickers. ¶4. (U) Tajikistan's 1,300 kilometer long border with Afghanistan is lightly guarded. Much of it runs through remote and difficult terrain, which allowed smugglers, extremists, and terrorists to travel to and from Afghanistan. To address transshipment of illicit goods across Tajikistan's borders, the United States and other donors assisted the Government of Tajikistan's efforts to secure its border with Afghanistan. We provided communication support to the Border Guards, built a commercial customs facility at the Nizhny Pyanj bridge, and provided technical and scanning equipment at this location. The U.S. Department of Defense sponsored two Counter Narcoterrorism Training (formerly Joint Combined Exchange Training) events with Tajikistani security forces to improve their capacity to conduct counterterrorism operations. The U.S. Department of State International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Bureau (INL) provided the State Committee for National Security with a Counter Narcotics/Counterterrorism Analytical Center which included space refurbishment, computer hardware, analytical software, and training. INL refurbished three Border Guard Service outposts on the border with Afghanistan. ¶5. (U) Tajikistan hosted Exercise Regional Cooperation 10, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense. This exercise focused on regional response to terrorism and strengthening cooperation among Central Asian countries. The Tajikistani government participated in regional security alliances, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. ¶6. (U) Tajikistan prohibited activities by groups it considered extremist, including Salafis and the Jamaat e Tabligh, and closely monitored groups it listed as terrorist organizations, including the IMU and Hizb ut-Tahrir. The USG assessed that supporters of terrorist groups such as al-Qa'ida, the Islamic Jihad Union, and the IMU were active in the region. ¶7. (U) Point of contact on this issue is William von Zagorski, vonzagorskiwf@state.gov . GROSS