Tajik police killed four relatives of a former elite police force commander who defected to ISIS two years ago, two security sources told Reuters on Wednesday, during a raid on a house near the Afghan border.
The United States last August offered up to $3 million for information about Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, whom it trained in counter-terrorism before he joined ISIS.
Washington has described Khalimov as “a key leader” of ISIS, which has seized parts of Syria and Iraq and staged or inspired deadly militant attacks around the world.
According to the security sources, police suspected that some of Khalimov’s relatives were also linked to the militant group and were about to cross the border into Afghanistan.
Police raid
When police raided a house in the Ibrat village in southern Tajikistan late on Tuesday, the suspects resisted and wounded at least one policeman, the sources said. Police killed two of Khalimov’s brothers and two of his nephews, and detained several people.
Tajikistan’s interior ministry confirmed that one of its officers had received a knife wound, but had no further comments.
In April, Tajik security forces detained Khalimov’s eldest son, Bekhruz, 18, who they said had planned to join his father.
Thousands of people from the predominantly Muslim ex-Soviet region of Central Asia have joined ISIS and several men have been detained this year over a bombing of the metro in Russia’s St Petersburg as well as a truck attack in Stockholm.
-
Banned Islamic opposition goes on trial in Tajikistan
Thirteen members of an Islamist opposition party went on trial in the ex-Soviet republic of Tajikistan News -
Tajikistan jails 13 leaders of Islamist party for up to life: officials
Tajikistan jailed 13 leading members of a banned moderate Islamist opposition party for up to life Gulf -
Blast hits St. Petersburg metro in Russia, 10 confirmed killed
At least 10 people are feared dead and 50 others injured after explosions rocked a metro station in Russia's second city of Saint Petersburg, Al ... World News -
Second suspect arrested over Stockholm truck attack
A second suspect was arrested Sunday in connection with the Stockholm truck attack that killed four people and injured 15, a district court said. ... World News