Najmiddin Jalolov (russian: Наджмуддин Камолитдинович Джалолов ''Nadzhmuddin Kamolitdinovich Dzhalolov'', a.k.a. ''Abu Yahya Muhammad Fatih''; April 1, 1972 – September 14, 2009) was the leader of the

Jama'at al-Jihad al-Islami The Islamic Jihad Union (IJU; ) is a militant Islamist organization founded in 2002 as a splinter group of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU). Headquartered in North Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afgha ...

, a militant organization affiliated with

Al Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countr ...

that operates in the larger

Central Asian Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the former S ...

region. The group was also suspected of planning attacks in

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

and Western Europe.

Early life

Jalolov was born in the town of Xartum,

Andijan Region Andijan Region ( Uzbek: Andijon viloyati/Андижон вилояти, ئەندىجان ۋىلايەتى, russian: Андижанская область) is a region of Uzbekistan, located in the eastern part of the Fergana Valley in far easte ...

Uzbek SSR Uzbekistan (, ) is the common English name for the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR; uz, Ўзбекистон Совет Социалистик Республикаси, Oʻzbekiston Sovet Sotsialistik Respublikasi, in Russian: Уз� ...

, today

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

. He trained in mines and explosives at al Qaida camps and participated in operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan on the Taliban side.

Terror activities

Jalolov was a former member of the

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU; uz, Ўзбекистон исломий ҳаракати/Oʻzbekiston islomiy harakati; russian: Исламское движение Узбекистана ) was a militant Islamist group formed in 1998 ...

(IMU), another organization affiliated with

.Central Asia's Security: Issues and Implications for U.S. Interests
CRS Report for Congress Uzbek courts found Jalolov guilty of terrorism ''in absentia'' in 2000. He left IMU around 2000 and took part in Islamic Jihad Union. He was considered a potential ringleader in a September 2007 plot to attack several venues in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, according to the

United States Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States, where it serves as an United States federal executive departments, executive department. The departme ...

. In 2006, he directed the casing of terrorist targets, particularly hotels catering to Western visitors, in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

. Jalolov was tied to

Taliban The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...

leader Mohammed Omar, Uyghur militant Abu Mohammad, and Al Qaeda leader

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden (10 March 1957 – 2 May 2011) was a Saudi-born extremist militant who founded al-Qaeda and served as its leader from 1988 until Killing of Osama bin Laden, his death in 2011. Ideologically a Pan-Islamism ...

. In 2004, he ordered the attacks on the US Embassy and the Israeli Embassy in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

Death

Jalolov was killed in a U.S. Predator drone strike in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

on 14 September 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jalolov, Najmiddin 1972 births 2009 deaths People from Andijan Region Terrorism in Central Asia Islamic terrorism in Russia Uzbekistani al-Qaeda members Deaths by United States drone strikes in Pakistan Uzbekistani expatriates in Pakistan Soviet military personnel of the Soviet–Afghan War People of the insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Islamic Jihad Union Leaders of Islamic terror groups Uzbekistani Islamists