Najmiddin Jalolov ( ''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 , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

that operates in the larger

Central Asian Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

region. The group was also suspected of planning attacks in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and Western Europe.

Early life

Jalolov was born in the town of Xartum,

Andijan Region Andijan Region is a region of Uzbekistan, located in the eastern part of the Fergana Valley in far eastern Uzbekistan. It borders with Kyrgyzstan ( Jalal-Abad and Osh Regions), Fergana Region and Namangan Region. It covers an area of 4,300&nbs ...

Uzbek SSR The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist P ...

, today

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. He trained in mines and explosives at

Al-Qaida , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

camps and participated in operations in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

and

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

on the Taliban side.

Terror activities

Jalolov was a former member of the

Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU; uz-Cyrl-Latn, Ўзбекистон исломий ҳаракати, Oʻzbekiston islomiy harakati; ) was a militant Islamist group formed in 1998 by Islamic ideologue Tahir Yuldashev and former Soviet p ...

(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 left the IMU due to Tohir Yoʻldosh abandoning IMU activities in Uzbekistan and being preoccupied with the "global jihad" of al-Qaeda. 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, according to the

United States Treasury Department The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

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

Central Asia Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...

. Jalolov was tied to

Taliban , leader1_title = Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, Supreme leaders , leader1_name = {{indented plainlist, * Mullah Omar{{Natural Causes{{nbsp(1994–2013) * Akhtar Mansour{{Assassinated (2015–2016) * Hibatullah Akhundzada (2016–present) ...

leader Mohammed Omar,

Uyghur Uyghur may refer to: * Uyghurs, a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia (West China) ** Uyghur language, a Turkic language spoken primarily by the Uyghurs *** Old Uyghur language, a different Turkic language spoken in the Uyghur K ...

militant Abu Mohammad, and Al Qaeda leader

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...

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

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

Death

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

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 American 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 jihadist groups Uzbekistani Islamists