Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan claims involvement in Pakistani airport attack

[mota bhai 2,675]

ISLAMABAD: Uzbek fighters were involved in the attack on Karachi airport that killed 37, insurgent sources said Wednesday highlighting how the Pakistani Taliban can draw on international militant networks to carry out major attacks.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), an Al-Qaeda affiliate that has been mainly based in Pakistan's tribal belt since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, claimed the “martyrdom” of 10 of their fighters during this week's assault in a statement posted on various Taliban-linked websites.

The attack extinguished a nascent peace process and raised questions about how the Taliban were able to penetrate the airport serving Pakistan's economic hub.

“At midnight of Monday ten brave martyrdom seeking Mujahids of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan wearing their explosive-filled vests attacked a very special section of Karachi International Airport of Pakistan,” the English-language statement attributed to IMU said.

The page included photographs of 10 black-turbaned fighters wearing green tunics and white trainers while carrying assault rifles, in what appeared to be a snowy mountainous region.

The statement added that this operation was carried out as the revenge to the latest full scale bombardments and night attacks with fighter jets by the Pakistan Army.

...

Ten heavily armed militants laid siege to Karachi airport throughout Sunday night and the early hours of Monday morning in one of the most brazen attacks on a key installation in recent years.

Security analyst Imtiaz Gul said IMU fighters had migrated to Pakistan's tribal areas after being forced to flee from Afghanistan following the US-led invasion.

http://www.dawn.com/news/1112038/

[The Nature Boy 4,224]

That's a shocker. An organization with Islam in its title carrying out a vicious attack

[mota bhai 2,675]

That's a shocker. An organization with Islam in its title carrying out a vicious attack

Frankly, I thought the involvement of Uzbek terrorists this far from Uzbekistan was much more noteworthy. It appears that there is an al Qaeda infection in Putin's backyard.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Frankly, I thought the involvement of Uzbek terrorists this far from Uzbekistan was much more noteworthy. It appears that there is an al Qaeda infection in Putin's backyard.

I think they are in everyone's backyard even our own. If we cannot keep a 9 year old child from a South American country from entering by himself......Al Qaeda should have no trouble establishing sleeper cells here in the United States. Perhaps they aren't that smart.

[mota bhai 2,675]

I think they are in everyone's backyard even our own. If we cannot keep a 9 year old child from a South American country from entering by himself......Al Qaeda should have no trouble establishing sleeper cells here in the United States. Perhaps they aren't that smart.

Economic migrants pose a challenge, but they are not national security threats. I'm not sure why you right wing types insist on conflating the two issues.