IMU confirms death of its chief Yuldashev

MIRANSHAH: The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) confirmed on Wednesday the death of its chief, Muhammad Tahir Farooq, popularly known as Tahir Yuldashev who had been killed in a drone attack in North Waziristan last year. An Urdu pamphlet distributed by ‘Jandula Studio of Harkat-e-Islami Uzbekistan’ said that Tahir’s blood would not “go waste” and his followers would continue to wage jihad. Yuldashev was reported to have been killed in a strike by a US drone in Kanigoram town of South Waziristan on August 27, 2009. A website run by the IMU group announced the death of their leader and posted an image of his dead body. The website also displayed two images of Yuldahsev, who was described as “Shaheed Muhammad Tahir”. The site also named Usmon Odil as Yuldashev’s successor. Odil, in his own online address to followers, confirmed that Yuldashev had been killed on August 27, 2009 in a US drone attack. The IMU denied reports of Yuldashev’s death for almost a year, Odil said, because its members “were waging stepped-up battles in Afghanistan and especially in Pakistan against the enemies of Islam,” he said. “This sorrowful event occurred unexpectedly, and the IMU leadership, departing from the norms of sharia for jihad, decided to keep the information secret,” he said. staff report

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