A Post-Mortem Profile of Yusuf Tajiki: The Face of Islamic State Propaganda Against Tajikistan
A Post-Mortem Profile of Yusuf Tajiki: The Face of Islamic State Propaganda Against Tajikistan
In conjunction with the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP)’s push to broaden its appeal to speakers of Central Asian languages, an extensive and seemingly growing network of Tajik pro-Islamic State (IS) hubs has emerged using Telegram, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other online platforms to spread their message and further their cause. This network of pro-IS media primarily uses Tajik Cyrillic, which indicates that its propaganda is intended for Tajikistan nationals and Tajik speakers throughout Central Asia. Moreover, the various platforms serve as a recruitment pathway for Tajiks to join ISKP, raise money for the families of IS militants who are in Syrian detention camps, encourage attacks against Central Asian targets, provide religious guidance, exalt Tajiks who have joined IS and conducted attacks, and discredit IS’s enemies, such as the Taliban and the governments of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Although the network is largely made up of anonymous accounts, there are a handful of influential individuals who use kunyas (nomes de guerre) and there are apparent photos of them with blurred faces. The most prominent of these figures was Yusuf Tajiki, a propagandist who was a leading proponent of establishing an Islamic state in Movarounnahr – meaning the “land beyond the [Amu Darya] river” (also known as Transoxiana). He was also involved in recruiting for ISKP and encouraging violence against Central Asian government targets. On July 7, it was announced by the Movarounnahr propaganda network that Tajiki was martyred (Telegram/Movarounnahr, July 7).
Who was Yusuf Tajiki?
The operative known as “Yusuf Tajiki” presumably died in Afghanistan at the hands of the Taliban, but the details surrounding his death are unclear (Twitter/@LucasADWebber, July 7). During his lifetime, he maintained tight operational security and did not provide many details that could be used by ISKP’s enemies to identify and locate him. However, there are select clues in his online activities, communications, and interactions from which revealing information can be derived.
Yusuf Tajiki was an ardent supporter of IS and ISKP and wrote in Tajik and Arabic, with his use of the former being in Cyrillic. This indicated that he may have been a Tajikistan national. Additionally, he had signed off on print versions of his propaganda as “Yusuf Tajiki from the blessed land of Khurasan,” which indicated that he was located in Afghanistan or was from there (Telegram/Movarounnahr, May 22). On April 21, in response to an ISKP attack on Shiites in Mazar-e-Sharif, Tajiki celebrated the operation and stated to another member of the channel that he is in a different province of Afghanistan, and not in Balkh, where Mazar-e-Sharif is located (TOLOnews, April, 22). [1] Further, he was regularly featured on ‘Sadoi Khurasan,’ or ‘Voice of Khurasan’, which is ISKP’s Tajik version of Khurasan Ghag Radio.
Role in the ISKP Network
Yusuf Tajiki was a prolific writer and orator, and his materials were widely circulated throughout the pro-IS and ISKP Tajik media and communications networks. His audio statements were frequently published by ‘Sadoi Khurasan’ and made available on Telegram and a TikTok account that reached over 11,300 followers and garnered 140,000 likes (TikTok/Voice of Khurasan Radio, April 24). He was also a channel administrator for the Protectors of the Ummat (Muslim community), which is a private discussion channel with over 350 members and continually shared links to the other channels in the network, such as Movarounnahr, Voice of Khurasan, Voice of Khurasan Radio, Scholars of Rabbani, Loyalty and Devotion, Hurry to Jihad, and other groups purposed to provide Tajik translations for official IS media releases. In its channel description, Protectors of the Ummat provides contacts for ISKP recruiters and financial operatives who fundraise for IS families in Syrian detention camps as well as ISKP. When these contacts would get banned, Yusuf Tajiki had at times taken over these tasks by asking potential contributors and recruits to send him direct messages. [2]
Not only was Tajiki directly involved in the facilitation and logistics of recruiting and fundraising for ISKP, but he also aggressively encouraged hijrah to Khurasan Province in his propaganda by pressing upon his audience that it is a religious obligation (Telegram/Movarounnahr, May 11). Moreover, Tajiki was a leading proponent of demolishing Central Asian national borders, toppling regional governments, and supplanting the current regional government with Islamic rule in Movarounnahr where the IS banner would be exalted. His threats against states in the region usually referred explicitly to “Movarounnahr” as if Central Asian governments are occupying sacred land that must be, in his view, liberated.
On May 2, days after the ISKP-claimed rocket attack targeting Uzbekistan, Tajiki congratulated the “Mujahideen of Movarounnahr” and urged new attacks on Central Asia (Kun.uz, April 21 ; Special Eurasia, May 2). Before that, in late April, he proclaimed that just as ISKP is launching regular and lethal attacks inside Afghanistan, so too will this increasingly happen on Tajik soil. [4] He was then overjoyed in the days following the May 7 ISKP-claimed rocket attack against Tajikistan (Radio Ozodi, May 8). He further explained to the Protectors of the Ummat chat how the U.S and Russia are helping Tajikistan to build border security posts to jockey for regional influence and protect the Dushanbe government against ISKP. [3] In addition, he promised that “we are about to open a slaughterhouse in Transoxiana” and threatened to kill Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon and the rest of the political ruling class. [5] Likewise, Tajiki threatened all Central Asian governments and criticized other regional players, saying he would “put a sword around the necks” of Pakistan and Iran. [6]
Conclusion
Yusuf Tajiki, and the online network he had a lead role in creating, continues to be a significant and growing factor in ISKP’s media push to broaden support among Central Asians, and particularly Tajiks (New Delhi Times, May 2). Not long ago, Yusuf Tajiki released an audio statement celebrating the martyrdom of the June 18 Gurdwara Karta-E-Parwan attacker, Abu Muhammad at-Tajiki. With his own death, Yusu Tajiki has now also become the subject of such eulogies (Twitter/@LucasADWebber, July 2).
Notes:
[1] Telegram/Protectors of the Ummat, April 21. The channel was private, which means no weblink is available for it. [2] Telegram/Protectors of the Ummat, April 21. [3] Telegram/Protectors of the Ummat, May 13. [4] Telegram/Protectors of the Ummat, April 21. [5] Telegram/Protectors of the Ummat, May 15. [6] Telegram/Protectors of the Ummat, May 22.
