Tajik police on July 4 raided a house near the Afghan-Tajik border, killing four relatives of a US-trained ex-police force commander, who joined the Islamic State (IS) two years ago.
The US has offered up to $3mn for information about Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov, who used to specialise in counter-terrorism. Washington has referred to Khalimov as "a key leader" of the IS.
The raid took place due to police suspicions that some of Khalimov's relatives were also planning on joining the militant group and were preparing to cross the border in Afghanistan.
When police entered the house in the Ibrat village, the suspects resisted and wounded one policeman whereupon the police killed two of Khalimov's brothers and two of his nephews. Several people were detained.
The country’s struggling economy and the stifling tenure of longtime strongman President Emomali Rahmon plays into the hands of radical Islamic groups by making parts of traditionally Islamic Tajik society vulnerable to the propaganda of radical Islamic groups like ISIS.
The authorities have retaliated against the groups by cracking down on local Islamic customs. The government has also requested that Tajik militants return home voluntarily from serving with ISIS and surrender to the authorities to avoid prosecution.
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