Terrorism in Central Asian countries: “The Islamic movement in Uzbekistan as a model”

Central Asia is of great strategic importance, as it is one of the arenas of international competition between the United States, Russia and China, especially as it is rich in many natural resources. Despite its increasing strategic importance, its political climate has created the ideal environment for the growth of radical Islamist movements, especially in light of the absence of political stability, the entrenchment of corruption, and low rates of economic growth. Terrorism has spread, the arms trade has become rampant and money laundering has increased.
Radical Islam in Central Asia is undergoing many changes; local groups in the region have become international terrorist organizations, conducting operations at the global level. The activity of radical Islam groups in Central Asian countries can be divided into two main phases: from the beginning of radical Islamic movements since the collapse of the Soviet Union until the events of September 11, and since the events and the American war on terrorism and Afghanistan. The factors that contributed to the rise of radical Islam in the region, especially since the collapse of the Soviet Union, have been numerous, given the nature of political regimes and their policies towards Muslims, not to mention the repeated attempts to eradicate political opposition.
Highlighting Uzbekistan as a case among the Central Asian countries, it can be said that the Islamic Movement in Uzbekistan is one of the armed Islamic movements that sought to establish an Islamic state in the face of the secular dictatorship in Uzbekistan, but it went through many stages, starting with the rise of Islamic fundamentalism to the designation of the Islamic Movement in Uzbekistan as a terrorist organization, and ending with its move to Pakistan, specifically to Waziristan. The study found that the activity of Islamic movements in Central Asia is subject to many dynamic changes, making it difficult to predict their future activities. It may succeed in establishing a parallel state in northern Afghanistan, or it may return to Central Asia, but its return there as an organized fighting force is unlikely and unexpected, and the closest scenario is the group's intervention in the future crises of Central Asian countries, the most likely candidate country is Uzbekistan.
In this case, the role of the Islamist movement may increase by training some Islamist elements or providing weapons, with the aim of seizing power, if not the state as a whole. If that happens, Russia—as well as China—are expected to provide direct military support. Russian troops could even be deployed on the Afghan-Tajik border, and military bases could be established in Uzbekistan or Kazakhstan, which local authorities would welcome in order to counter the spread of terrorism in the region