U.S. Offers Bounty on U.S. Trained Islamic State Commander
(Worthy News) – The United States is offering a reward of $3 million for information about fugitive Tajik Colonel Gulmurod Halimov, who joined the Islamic State (IS) group last year.
Kurt Rice, acting assistant director for threat investigations and analysis at the U.S. State Department, said on August 30 that Washington considers Halimov to be a key member of the extremist group. [ Source ]
ISIS fighter was trained by State Department
An ISIS fighter who calls for jihad in a new online video was trained in counterterrorism tactics on American soil, in a program run by the United States, officials tell CNN.
The video features a former police commander from Tajikistan named Col. Gulmurod Khalimov. He appears in black ISIS garb with a sniper rifle and a bandolier of ammunition. He says in the video that he participated in programs on U.S. soil three times, at least one of which was in Louisiana.
The State Department has confirmed this claim.
“From 2003-2014 Colonel Khalimov participated in five counterterrorism training courses in the United States and in Tajikistan, through the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance program,” said spokeswoman Pooja Jhunjhunwala. [ Source ]