By Shahid Sher Ali
A lesser-known Al Qaeda offshoot, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), operating in and around tribal areas of Pakistan proved that it is as fierce as local Taliban when a dozen of its fighters stormed Karachi International Airport, killing at least 29 people.
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| IMU fighters that the group's website claims took part in the Karachi Airport attack |
The attack on Karachi International Airport demonstrated an
increasingly disturbing reality for the government of Pakistan: From Waziristan
to Khyber Agency and beyond, battle-hardened factions of Al Qaeda and TTP
(Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan) are expanding their ambitions and directly
threatening US security interests not only in ally Pakistan — and Afghanistan
too where NATO troops are trying to end a decades-long militancy.
Al Qaida-inspired factions that usually don’t have much local
support in the tribal areas of Pakistan, heavily rely on the TTP strongholds for
survival. One of them is Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan that has become a
bigger threat than what remains of the old foreign fighters from days of Russia
invasion in Afghanistan, and one that is in several ways more difficult to contain
or end. The brazen attack on Karachi Jinnah International Airport, Pakistani
war experts acknowledged, is a great demonstration of the extremists’ increasing
efficiency and battlefield expertise.
IMU spokesman, who delivered a brief speech through a Jihadi website, said Uzbek fighters have avenged the deaths of their comrades killed
in recent air strikes by Pakistan Army. He claimed that IMU will consolidate
its gains as it has what it takes to carry out more such lethal attacks.
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