Analysis: Tajiks Accuse Familiar Foe Despite IS Claim In Attack On Cyclists
Bruce Pannier
When Tajik police announced on July 31 that the banned Islamic Renaissance of Party of Tajikistan (IRPT) was behind the deadly July 29 attack on a group of foreign cyclists, it was hardly surprising. Nor was it shocking that Tajik authorities mentioned an Iranian link in the attack.
The announcements fly in the face of a claim of responsibility by the Islamic State (IS) militant group on July 30 and the emergence, less than a day later, of a video purportedly showing five young men pledging allegiance to IS.
But IS has been in retreat in nearly all areas where it operates, so some might regard its claim as a desperate and grisly effort at advertising to attract new recruits.
Read more at: https://www.rferl.org/a/tajiks-accuse-familiar-foe-despite-is-claim-in-attack-on-cyclists/29401482.html
Radio Free Europe is reporting perhaps the Tajikstan government believes pro-Iranian forces could be at fault here.... read article for explanation.
