ALMATY — Tajikistan has issued an international arrest warrant for the commander of its elite police force who joined Islamic State, prosecutors said Wednesday, accusing him of treason.
Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, the U.S.-trained head of the Central Asian state's police force known as OMON, disappeared in April.
Last week a video posted online showed him dressed in black, brandishing a sniper rifle and threatening to bring holy war to Russia and the United States.
Khalimov's defection alarmed many in Tajikistan, an impoverished Muslim nation which borders Afghanistan and is still volatile after a 1992-97 civil war that killed tens of thousands.
Countries across post-Soviet Central Asia have stepped up military drills with Russia and the United States, saying they are determined to confront militant Islam.
Khalimov, 40, is wanted for crimes including high treason and illegal participation in military actions abroad, the Tajik Prosecutor General's office said in a statement.
"Acting for mercenary means, he joined the international terrorist organization calling itself Islamic State", the prosecutors said.
"Khalimov … is used as an actor … in a video spectacle aimed to extol this so-called 'Islamic State' and justify its monstrous crimes," they added.
Khalimov appeared in the professionally-made video in front of a palm tree, and sporting a new beard. His location was not clear.
The International Crisis Group think-tank estimates around 4,000 Central Asians are fighting for Islamic State, an ultra-hardline Islamist group that has seized large parts of Syria and neighboring Iraq and launched attacks in Libya.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
