Counter-Terrorism: Down In The Valley

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January 15, 2011: There appears to be an increase in Islamic terrorists moving from Pakistan and Afghanistan north to Kyrgyzstan and the Ferghana valley. This area lies astride the borders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. This movement has been going on for over a decade. The valley is used as a rest area, as efforts by Russia, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have managed to lock down terrorist activity in most of Central Asia. There used to be some active terrorist groups in the area, like Hizbi Tahrir and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. These two have been hammered so much that they have largely disappeared from view, but have not been destroyed. The unrest is still there, and growing because of the continued government corruption and incompetence. However, Central Asia is on its way to being the perpetual next battleground in the war on terror.