Tajik Police Arrest 35 Suspected Islamic Recruits in Three Months
| Publisher | Institute for War and Peace Reporting |
| Author | Mahasti Dustmurod |
| Publication Date | 16 October 2015 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RCA Issue 772 |
| Cite as | Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Tajik Police Arrest 35 Suspected Islamic Recruits in Three Months, 16 October 2015, RCA Issue 772, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56289596a.html [accessed 3 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Tajikistan's education ministry reports that five university students have gone off to join Islamic State militants in Syria. Three were studying in the capital Dushanbe while the others were attending university in the Russian city of Kostroma.
The news comes as police say 35 people have been arrested while trying to leave Tajikistan for Syria in the last three months.
Islamic State is recruiting people with skills like doctors, teachers, cooks and electricians, as well as footsoldiers.
Sociologist Halim Qurbonov says that Tajiks who have obtained degrees from Western universities are particularly valued by Islamic state.
"Islamic State has a proven track-record of recruiting people - initially, they offer help to those in need, and then they bring them to Syria," he added.
Tajikistan's interior ministry has been running campaigns in the media, educational institutions and in the mosques to deter people from being enticed by Islamic State's message. (See Countering Extremism in Tajikistan for more on this.)
Mahasti Dustmurod is an IWPR contributor in Tajikistan.
