Country Report on Terrorism 2024 - Chapter 4 - Islamic Jihad Union (IJU)

Islamic Jihad Union

Aka:  Islamic Jihad Group; Islomiy Jihod Ittihodi; al-Djihad al-Islami; Dzhamaat Modzhakhedov; Islamic Jihad Group of Uzbekistan; Jamiat al-Jihad al-Islami; Jamiyat; the Jamaat Mojahedin; the Kazakh Jama’at; the Libyan Society.

Description:  Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) was designated as an FTO on June 17, 2005.  The group splintered from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) in the first decade of the 2000s over differences in leadership of global jihadism.  Najmiddin Jalolov founded the organization as the Islamic Jihad Group in 2002, but it was renamed the Islamic Jihad Union in 2005.  Although IJU was formed to overthrow the Government of Uzbekistan, in 2024 it was primarily active in Afghanistan.  Many of its members left Afghanistan for Syria.

Activities:  IJU did not claim responsibility for any attacks in 2024.

Strength:  IJU was estimated to have 200-250 members in Afghanistan.

Location/Area of Operation:  Afghanistan, Syria, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Europe.

Funding and External Aid:  IJU’s funding sources were unknown.  The group likely received assistance from allied terrorist groups and sympathetic donors.

Associated documents