Uzbek fighters from an Al Qaeda-linked militant organisation have thrown their support behind the jihadist Islamic State group controlling swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq. A top leader for the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, an ally of the Taliban that has been mainly based in Pakistan’s tribal belt since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, announced its backing for IS.‘Hereby, on behalf of all members of our movement, in line with our sacred duties, I declare that we are in the same ranks with the IS in this continued war between Islam and (non-Muslims),’ Usman Gazi wrote in a statement on September 26 Gazi praised the IS for its refusal to recognise state borders and said he hoped the group would soon take control of Palestine and Mecca.