Expert: 'ISIS views Central Asia and the Caucasus as a priority area of its interests - REVIEW

Baku. 5 February. REPORT.AZ/ Influence of ISIS on Central Asian and Caucasian regions carries a great potential danger. Report was told on this a candidate of a degree in Political Sciences, a leading expert of the Institute of World Economics and Politics of Kazakhstan Zohra Azizova.

"ISIS is another regional geopolitical project pursuing several large-scale, including global goals. On the one hand, as a matter of fact being a jihadist movement, ISIS aims to influence in the region with a conditional prevalence of the Sunni population and to establish an Islamic caliphate in Central Asia", Z.Azizova stressed.

She also did not rule out the possibility that, ISIS is a tool for destabilization and escalation of existing conflicts in the Middle East, Central Asia and the Caucasus region.

"Influence of ISIS on Central Asian and Caucasian regions carries a great potential danger, first of all, because of uncertainties that which political or other players really behind this movement, and because of inability to assess their real potential. We can only indirectly judge the high level of funding and organization - on the rapidly growing activity of ISIS since its establishing, that's to say, since 2006", said the expert.

To her opinion, ISIS views Central Asia and the Caucasus as a priority area of their interests. "It's necessary to understand that the main threat is the ideological, the information component in the functioning of the ISIS - that recruitment of new adherents, and information terrorism carried out by means of media technology. Of course, this ideology has its traditional target audience, primarily among the least social protection of citizens", added Z.Azizova.

In addition, in her opinion, it is necessary to take into account the risks associated with the return of immigrants from Central Asia or the Caucasus - members of the movement "Islamic State" or "Taliban" - to their homeland, which may have an impact on the formation of new organizations and strengthen extremist terrorist threats in the region.

Earlier Uzbekistani security forces said that, the terrorist organization ISIS planning attacks in this country for spring. "The members of the IS prepared a series of terrorist attacks in the spring of 2015 in Uzbekistan, which is why we are strengthening measures to protect the borders," said an official of the Uzbekistani National Security Alisher Khamdamov.