The emergence of Islamic Jihad Union

Islamic Jihad Union (Jamaat al-Jihad al-Islami, Islomij Jihad Ittehadi or Ittihad al-Jihad al-Islami) established in 2002 after breaking away from the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan and Islamic Jihad Union is internationally followed the global Jihad and at the same time kept its relationships with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. The name of Islamic Jihad Union for the public was first known as simply Islamic Jihad Group and in 2005 the Islamic Jihad Group changed its name to Islamic Jihad Union.⁴⁹ The basis of Islamic Jihad Union organization formed from post Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan fighters who left Tahir Yuldashev and preferred to join to the operations of Al-Qaeda against infidels. On 31^st of May 2007 while giving the interview to the Turkish internet web site ‘Şehadet Zamanı’ (Martyrdom Time) the Jalolov Najmiddin Kamolitdinovich⁵⁰ (picture 3)⁵¹ also known as (Abu Yahya Muhammad Fatih)⁵² who was considered to be the leader of the Islamic Jihad Union introduced for the public the goal and the ideology of the Islamic Jihad Union and mentioned that to remove the Kerimov government from the power was one of the aim among Islamic Jihad Union organization’s goals, and at 2007 the organization’s important area of fighting was Afghanistan and added that Islamic Jihad Union seeks the ways how to coordinate their action plans in Afghanistan with the fighters from Central Asia and Caucasian region.

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The leader of Najmiddin Jalolov, being a member of Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan received trainings by Al-Qaeda members and actively took part in the terrorist actions committed in Uzbekistan in 1999 and linked to Osama bin Laden (the leader of Al-Qaeda), Abu Mohammed (Uyghur extremist)and Mohammad Omar (The leader of Taliban)⁵³.

In his interview⁵⁴ the Najmiddin Jalolov tried to center the public attention to the fact that Islamic Jihad Union was trying to enlarge the role of jihad in the world in order to defeat the infidels and liberate the Muslims in the world, and their fight will stop only when the Islam will become dominant in the world. After the split of Islamic Jihad Union the Turkish speaking people that are involved and encouraged with the global jihad ideas preferred to join Islamic Jihad Union organization more than Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan organization.

According to the United States authorities another important person in the Islamic Jihad Union is Suhayl Fatilloevich Buranov also known as (Mansur Suhayl or Abu Hafiza)⁵⁵ who was born in Tashkent in 1983 and has undertaken special training on mines and explosive at the Al-Qaeda camp in Khost province and actively took part in military operations in Pakistan and in Afghanistan on the side of Taliban and at 2004 was one of the organizers of the terrorist attacks committed in Uzbekistan.⁵⁶ Suhayl Fatillioevich Buranov also known as the deputy leader of Emir Najmiddin Jalolov and together they are the founders of the Islamic Jihad Union. The other two leaders that were involved in the establishment of the Islamic Jihad Union organizations are Kh, Ismoilov and Ahmad Bekmirzayev.⁵⁷

The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) is located in Pakistan and Federally Administered Tribal Areas is characterized by a very strong tribal structure and very rich ethnic diversity and cultural heritage including the North and South parts of Waziristan which is very attractive for foreign terrorist fighters because of the low control by Pakistan side.⁵⁸ The training lagers and headquarters of Islamic Jihad Union are located in Northern part of Waziristan (picture 4)⁵⁹ in Mir Ali (picture 5)⁶⁰ which is itself very attractive place for different terrorist organization members because of its geographical location between Afghanistan and Pakistan. But Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan used its training lagers in North part of the Waziristan near the Wana. Now there are more than 50 Taliban affiliated groups are operating in Federally Administered Tribal Areas and its adjoining areas.⁶¹

Language factor is also important element in the communication among the union. Islamic Jihad Union used internet web-link ‘Şehadet Zamanı’ (Martyrdom Time) in order to send their appeals and keep in touch with others which is in Turkish language. Why the Islamic Jihad Union used the internet web link which is in Turkish language is unknown but it is considered that the internet link in Turkish language helps to understand and successfully recruit Turks living in different parts of the world. Uzbeks and Turks are related to the Turkish speaking group of countries and they speak the similar language.

Location of North and South Waziristan (green) in Pakistan (white)

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3.1 Global Jihad, Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Islamic Jihad Union organization.

The presidents of the United States George Bush, Barack Obama and the leaders of the different Western countries many times declared that the war in which they involved is a war against international terrorism-not a war against Islam or against Muslims who joined them in order to help to fight against their common enemies. But for the leader of Al-Qaeda Usama bin Laden and his allies this is a holy religious war of Islam against the United States of America and against infidels.

The main task of Islamic Jihad Union is the globalization of jihad in the world.. Even the word jihad was mentioned in the name of organization. The jihad is the basic obligation of every Muslim and is a war undertaken as a holy duty by the all Muslims that be bequeathed by the Prophet, and the leader of the Al-Qaeda Usama bin Laden in his appeal to wage a war against the main power of infidels to the United States of America called all Muslims to follow this principles. The root of the word jihad goes to the Arabic language j-h-d, with the basic meaning of striving or effort and is usually mentioned in the Holy Koranic phrase ‘striving in the path of God’ (e.g., IX, 24; LX, 1 et cetera) and has been differently defined to mean armed struggle and moral striving.⁶² Bernard Lewis also in his book mentioned that in the Islamic shariat, to conduct the war against infidels, traitors, rebels and bandits is legitimate and only in the first two it can be considered as jihad.⁶³ In the perception of Western countries the word jihad understood as a ‘holy war’. Mujahed (pl, mujahideen) is a person that involved in the jihad. There are Five Pillars⁶⁴ of Islam that is every Muslim is obliged to follow.

Speaking about the violence of Global Jihad Thomas Hegghammer mentioned that ‘Global jihadist violence is directed at representatives or symbols of non-Muslims, such as Western embassies, military bases, and tourists in the Muslim world, or the home of capitals of the nations considered the most hostile to Muslims.’⁶⁵ Giving the definitions to the classical and global jihadism the Thomas Hegghammer said ‘classical jihadists attack mainly the local occupier in the area they have chosen to fight, while global jihadist usually attack Western targets in any location.’⁶⁶ The theory of jihad is based on the division of the world into two regions: Dar al-Islam (the territory of Islam) and dar al-Harb (the territory of war), however exists the third category dar al-Sulh (the territory of contract) under which fall those countries that have declared themselves as vassals of the Muslim countries.⁶⁷

As the camps of Islamic Jihad Union were located in the Northern part of Waaziristan the Islamic Jihad Union actively cooperates there with two important allies. Guido Steinberg mentioned in his research that first of them is so called Haqqani Network and the second one is so called Libiyan al-Qaeda Abu Laith al Libi.⁶⁸

The Haqqani Network took the name of its leader Jalaluddin Haqqani and is a group within rebellion in Afghanistan. The Haqqani Network is located in North part of Waziristan in the Pakistani Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and arranged base in Miram Shah which is very important place for the groups financial, weapon operations as obtaining and transferring them, the development of military strategy operations and consisted of four types of groups: those who had operated under the leadership of Jalaladdin Haqqani:: those from North Waziristan that cooperated with Haqqani during many years: fighters from Loya Paktiya that joined the Haqqani Network since 2001 and non Pashtun foreing fighters including Chechen, Uzbek and Arab fighters.⁶⁹ The Haqqani Network is actively cooperating with Taliban and has a close relationship with the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization. In the 1980’s the Haqqani established a relationship with the leader of Al-Qaeda Usama bin Laden and using these relationships the leader of Al-Qaeda Usama bin Laden’s so called Lion’s Den and related camps were established in Afghanistan in the territories that were under the control of Haqqani.⁷⁰ Jalaladdin Haqqani considered being very close o with the leader of Taliban with Mullah Omar and was his top consultant⁷¹. According to the United States intelligence agencies the Haqqani Network was better linked to the Arab jihadist groups and was closely associated with the Pakistani Inter-Services-Intelligence (ISI) that supported them with weapons, cash and the Haqqani Network connected with both of them better than any other insurgent groups in Afghanistan.⁷² The Haqqani Network prefer to closely cooperate with the foreign militant organizations and groups and an Uzbek militant group Islamic Jihad Union is among them, however the Islamic Jihad Union sends recruits from Turkey to commit terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and also they are seemingly behind plots to attack various targets in European countries.⁷³

The Haqqani Network being the Islamic Jihad Union’s local hosts do not seem to allocate the Islamic Jihad Union’s interests targeting Europe and the son of Jalaluddin Haqqani Sirajuddin Haqqani as a new generation leader of the Haqqani Network in August 2008 while giving the interview to the journalist from Pakistan Rahimullah Yousufzai stated that they are busy in their own war there in Afghanistan against United States of America and its allies, and it is not the policy of Haqqani Network to attack or carry out acts of sabotage in other countries.⁷⁴ The Haqqani Network is not paying attention to the international activity of Islamic Jihad Union; maybe because the Islamic Jihad Union is also help them to wage a rebel war in Afghanistan. The way how the Islamic Jihad Union is wage a war is similar with the other al-Qaeda networks operating in Afghanistan.

Islamic Jihad Union’s another important ally was Libyan Abu Laith al-Libi. Libyan Abu Laith al-Libi was one of the Al-Qaeda leaders Usama bin Laden’s most important field commanders and was acted as a mediator between Islamic Jihad Union and Al-Qaeda until the beginning of 2008 and was killed by United States air strike in the late January 2008 at a residential building in Mir Ali. In that air attack provided by United States several Islamic Jihad Union members were also killed. The Libyan Abu Laith al-Libi considered being a person who planned attacks in Germany and was probably the Islamic Jihad Union’s strategic head to whom the Islamic Jihad Union referred as ‘our Sheikh’ that had a close relationships with Taliban forces and for Al-Qaeda was considered as a sort of ‘Central Asia Commissioner’.⁷⁵

According to the Einar Wigen the Islamic Jihad Union members change between 100 and 200 and the majority of them consist of Uzbeks and rest of them shares Turkish, Kurd, German, Chechen, Uyghur, Tajik and Kyrgyz recruits and mentioned that the Islamic Jihad Union holds the ‘Martyr Brigades’ that consisted of Uzbek children⁷⁶

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The Islamic Jihad Union is more attractive for the global terrorist networks as Al-Qaeda and Taliban rather than Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan because Islamic Jihad Union actively supports the global jihad in the world. One of the Islamic Jihad Union’s German recruits was Eric Breininger (picture 6)⁷⁷. The German recruit Eric Breininger has been known as Abdulgaffar-el-Almani, was born in Neunkirchen in Saarland region in Germany, and was one of the Germany’s most wanted men since he joined the Islamic Jihad Union terrorist organization.⁷⁸ After being in close relationships with Houssain al-Molla and Daniel Schneider the German Eric Breininger get knowledge about the doctrine of loyalty which is towards believers and God and enmity which is especially towards infidels in which he really interested and became recruited, and after his final decision to take part in jihad he travels to Cairo where later after four month Houssain al-Molla joins him and persuades him to travel to Afghanistan.⁷⁹ Using the territory of Iran they came to Pakistani border Zahedan and with the support of human trafficker ‘Mustafa’ they arrive to Waziristan where they joined the Islamic Jihad Union safe house and together with the fighters from Turkey and Tajikistan were sent to Afghanistan.⁸⁰ Appeared in video in 05/23/2008 Eric Breininger blame the Germany in promoting the double standards concerning democracy and Muslims and mentioned that the Bundeswehr the unified armed forces of Germany stationed in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan and alerts German government that with other fighters he will wage the war against occupiers⁸¹. In 10/21/2008 on another six minute long, so called ‘A call from Hindu Kush’ video released on Islamic Jihad Union’s internet web site Eric Breininger makes it clear for Germany authorities that he is currently in Afghanistan and he is not planning to commit a terrorist attack personally in Germany which can be understood as a response to the growing concern from Germany side⁸².According to the information receiving on 09/20/2008 concerning the appearance of Eric Breininger in Bosnia the Germany officials made a proclamation on the 25^th of September 2008 that Eric Breininger with Houssain Al-Molla left their camps that located in Afghanistan and Pakistan border are on their way to Germany, and Germany Secret Services (BKA) send their photos in every entry posts and mentioned them as an extremely dangerous terrorists. ⁸³

German jihadist Eric Breininger according to the German and Pakistan Intelligence service was killed on the date 04/03/2010 in the battle by Pakistani army and this information confirmed by the Islamic Jihad Union on their internet website on 05/03/2010 ⁸⁴. After his death his 108 page documentary Mein Weg nach Jannah (My path to Paradise) book was released on jihadist internet web link and in this book Eric Breininger explained what made him to decide to join Islam, jihad and his way to violent Islamist militancy.’⁸⁵ One day later German police arrested two Somali originated ona Cologne-Bonn airport that suspected having close relationships with Breininger and Houssain Al-Molla, but Eric Breininger mentioned that he has no relationships with that descents and both of them were released unconditionally.⁸⁶ Because of his language difficulties he wrote in his memoirs ‘I miss the opportunity to share my thoughts or simply that a brother gives me his support after a difficult day’ and was very happy when the leader of Islamic Jihad Union told him that further German recruits finished their trainings.⁸⁷ Here Eric Breininger helped the Germany intelligence to understand well the ‘German Taliban Mujahedeen’ that trained by the Islamic Jihad Union and preferred to fight under the control of Taliban that threatened the Germany that they will commit attacks in Germany.⁸⁸ Also it claimed that ‘German Taliban Mujahedeen’ is under the command of the Afghan Taliban and struggling against the United States and Afghanistan armies.⁸⁹ Using the internet web site in Turkish language indicates to the fact that Islamic Jihad Union turns directly to the Turks and the European Muslims with Turkish origins. Also in Saarland Cell the major part consisted of Turkish jihadists and it is estimated that Turks and Uzbeks are the Turkic people that speak closely the same language. That’s why the Islamic Jihad Union that claims to involve into the international level and whose activity goes beyond its national borders represents the ideal tool for the recruitment of Turks in Europe and this reason plays the significant role why al-Qaeda is interested in cooperation with the Islamic Jihad Union, however al-Qaeda is dominated by Arabs and failed to recruit the Turks in a big amount by itself.

Another the 24 years old, Lebanese born, German passport holder Houssain al-Molla was gained the attention of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) when he left the Germany and stopped in Cairo where he met the radical Islamist cleric who linked to the Germany.⁹⁰ After stopping in Cairo Houssain al-Molla moved to Dubai and then moved to Tehran and from Tehran according to the German investigators have traveled into Waziristan where the Islamic Jihad Union holds several training camps.⁹¹ After trying with one member of Saurland Cell to cross the same border again he detained by Pakistani side and according to the spokesmean of German Intelligence Houusain al-Mollawas areested for several days and questioned by the Pakistani Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) then sent back to Germany, where Houssain al-Molla afraid of becoming the target of German authorities he immediately planned his escape to Pakistan where he showed his aim to join the Holy War.⁹² According to the internal analyses of investigation Hossain al-Molla is regarded as the person who guides and dominates the young German and according to that analyses it was mentioned that another third undisclosed man could be involved, but they have to yet to arrive to the decisive decision in that regard.⁹³

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Another recruit was Bavarian Turk Cüneyt Çiftçi (picture 7).⁹⁴ Cüneyt Çiftçi was born in a town Freising in Bavaria (Germany), in the Turkish family that moved to Germany in the 1960’s, and started to visit mosque near Nuremberg which was under the control of German police.⁹⁵ On the 3rd of March, the 28 year old Bavarian Turk Cüneyt Çiftçi drove a car with 4.5 tons of explosives into the NATO Sebrari military post in the Afghanistan province of Paktika and committed a terrible terrorist attack in which he lost his life and wrote his name into the history of Germany as first German born suicide bomber.⁹⁶ In this March attack launched by Cüneyt Çiftçi against United States 2 NATO soldiers and 2 civilian were killed.⁹⁷ In the Islamic Jihad Union’s Turkish internet web site was mentioned that the Islamic Jihad Union took the responsibility for that attack committed by Cüneyt Çiftçi and claimed that the consequence of that attack was followed the massive death where 60 United States soldiers and 70 Afghan soldiers were killed.⁹⁸ Islamic Jihad Union also stated that the act was successfully carried out by Cüneyt Çiftçi who came from Germany and changed his luxurious life style for a place in heaven.⁹⁹ This operation was the revenge answer to the death of martyr Abu Laith al-Libi stated in the Islami Jihad Union internet web page.¹⁰⁰ Einar Wigen in his research mentioned that Eric Breininger encouraged from the Cüneyt Çiftçi and seeked to follow in his track.¹⁰¹ In the 27 minute long video posted by Islamic Jihad Union it was possible to see that Cuneyt Ciftci

prepared for that operation very carefully and explained the roads and the structure of that military base and was seen a little bit strange but happy for preparing to go to paradise’¹⁰²

The Bavarian Turk Cüneyt Çiftçi was under suspicious by German police because of his connections to the Sauerland Terror Cell, whose three members Adem Yilmaz (picture 8)¹⁰³, Fritz Gelowicz (picture 9)¹⁰⁴ and Daniel Schneider (picture 10)¹⁰⁵ were arrested in September 2007.’¹⁰⁶ They were arrested by the joint work of United States Secret Service agencies and German Secret Service agencies in a so called ‘Alberich Operation’¹⁰⁷ The so called ‘Sauerland Cell’ united thirty young Jihadists, majority of whoch consisted from ethnic Turks living in the territory of Germany and other recruits that were send to Pakistan in order to get the terrorits trainings in the camps and as a result of those trainings had radicalized and converted.¹⁰⁸



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Two times in April and July 2008 on the Islamic Jihad Union’s so called ‘Sehadet Zamani’ web page two interviews with the Turkish Islamic Jihad Union fighter Abu Yasir al-Turki were released. In one of his videos Abu Yasir al-Turki while speaking about his living conditions mentioned that ‘I live in a mud hut, which has one room, together with my wife and children and when I have a guest I ask my wife to go to the house of another fighter who is living in my neighborhood and to the question concerning his monthly income he answered that they are paying 1500 rupees (20 US dollars) to each fighter and 500 rupees to each child, and they are paying from time to time 200 to 300 rupees for personal needs to bachelors.¹⁰⁹ According Islamic Jihad Union Turkish Jihadist Abu Yasir al-Turki left his property in Turkey and joined his brothers in jihad andpresently operates in the ranks of Islamic Jihad Alliance.¹¹⁰

In the second interview the Turkish jihadist Abu Yasir al-Turki was concerned about the Turkish jihadist in Afghanistan and he blamed the Turkish jihadist in general, described them as weak and easy quitters without the serious intentions, announced them as boasters that traveled into Afghanistan and joined the jihad in order to get the great adventures and when returned back to their homeland to tell about their experience to their friends and families.¹¹¹ Abu Yasir al-Turki who maybe considered to be the head of Turkish contingent mentioned that Turks were not estimated high in Afghanistan and according to him, at the time when he gave the interview there were 150 Turks operating in Afghanistan, but he also noticed that there were more than 2000 Turk volunteers arrived after the change of Taliban government during 2001/2002, of which 50 or 60 have been killed and the rest returned back to their homes.¹¹² Abu Yasir al-Turki made it clear that no group wants to see among themselves the fighters from Azerbaijan and Turkey who would like to join the groups by their own will, explained it with their growth in democratic environments, and divided the Turks into three groups; 1, fighters who have been encouraged by movies such as Kurtlar Vadisi (Valley of Wolfs): Iraq who seeks the adventures; 2, fighters who want escape the different family and social difficulties; 3, who wants to look cool and brave in front of their friends¹¹³. Also Abu Yasir al-Turki mentioned in his interview that ‘America and its allies have woken up a sleeping giant. I mean they re-lit the fire of Jihad, which was inside the religious community, and this fire is growing every day, We may not able to see it, but this will go on until the conquest of Rome as promises by prophet of God and hopefully will put all of Europe under the jizya tax with the permission of Allah’.¹¹⁴

Some videos released in Internet that showed how the Islamic Jihad Union fighters and German recruits are training in training camps in Pakistan. In the video it is possible to see that the fighters of Islamic Jihad Union were equipped with the different weapons especially of the Russian production and under which circumstances the members of Islamic Jihad Union were trained.¹¹⁵ One more interesting detail in the video illustrated that among recruits was one young boy and also they are trainings in groups.¹¹⁶ According to the Ronald Sandee the Islamic Jihad Union keeps its training camps in Bajaur (place between Pakistan and Afghanistan) and North Waziristan, which is according to them, is very important place for them to cross border operations in Afghanistan and Islamic Jihad Union organized group consisting of 20 recruits and sent them into Nuristan (place in Afghanistan embedded in the south of the Hindu Kush valley), Paktia (province in the east of Afghanistan), and Paktika (province in the south east of Afghanistan) to commit the guerilla operations.¹¹⁷ Ronald Sandee also in his analysis and research at the NEFA foundation mentioned that The Makki Mosque in Zahedan (the largest Sunni mosque in Islamic Republic of Iran) is very important place for Islamic Jihad Union logistics and mosque play the function of last stop for the recruits from Europe and former Soviet Union countries before the move to Pakistan, and Gafur Salimov (played important role in Sauerland operation) was recognized as one of the leading Islamic Jihad Union facilitators in Zahedan.¹¹⁸