Gulmurod Khalimov moved closer to Tajikistan

The former special forces commander and now the war minister of ISIS has been deployed closer to the Tajik border.

According to Afghan media, the former commander of the special forces unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan, Gulmurod Khalimov, has been deployed in the provinces of Afghanistan bordering Tajikistan.

As reported by the publication “Sadoi Pomir” (Voice of Pamir), Gulmurod Khalimov — the former commander of the OMON of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tajikistan and one of the high-ranking leaders of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) — was recently spotted in the Afghan province of Takhar, which borders Tajikistan.

In the ranks of ISIS, Gulmurod Khalimov quickly rose, holding increasingly high positions, and recently served as the so-called “war minister” of this terrorist organization. According to media reports, he is currently responsible for coordinating operations of the “ISIS – Khorasan Province” (ISIS-K) in Central Asia and Russia.

It was previously reported that after the defeat of ISIS in Syria and Iraq, thousands of militants moved to Afghanistan and some African countries. At that time, it was reported that Gulmurod Khalimov had relocated from Syria to the Afghan province of Kunar on the border with Pakistan.

According to several media sources, in April 2017, Khalimov was reportedly killed in Mosul as a result of a missile strike by the Western coalition. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Khalimov was killed in a Russian airstrike near the city of Deir ez-Zor in September 2017.

Reports that the war minister of ISIS, Gulmurod Khalimov, is in Afghanistan emerged at a time when the Taliban claims to fully control the situation in Afghanistan and will not allow any threats to neighboring countries to emanate from its territory. However, the presence of a figure like Gulmurod Khalimov near the Tajik-Afghan border casts doubt on these Taliban statements.

On the other hand, some experts believe that Khalimov’s deployment closer to Tajikistan not only threatens stability at the Tajik border but may also mark the beginning of a new phase of ISIS activity throughout the Central Asian region.

It should be noted that Gulmurod Khalimov, who was previously considered a well-trained commander of Tajikistan’s special forces, has extensive military experience and wide connections with other terrorist groups in the region. Nevertheless, the authorities of Tajikistan have not yet officially commented or made any statements regarding his new deployment.