Radical Islamism in Tajikistan during the civil war of 1992-1997

The purpose of this research is to identify the role of radical Islamism in Tajikistan during the civil war of 1992-1997. The article highlights key criteria of radical Islamism in Central Asia, determines which of the groups participating in the Tajik conflict can be classified as radically Islamist, and analyzes the impact of this extremist ideology on the course and outcome of the 1992-1997 war. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the systematization of scientific ideas about the essence of radical Islamism in Tajikistan in modern history and, in particular, in the civil war of 1992-1997. As a result, it was determined that during the civil war in Afghanistan, the opposition was forced to unite extremely different factions to fight against the central government: from democratic to Islamist. Gradually, as the conflict developed, a division of Islamists occurred: radical elements mainly concentrated around a number of militant leaders (the Sodirov brothers, Mullo Abdullo Rakhimov, etc.), while moderates softened their position and concentrated around the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (the organization is recognized as terrorist and banned in Russia). The influence of radical Islamism on the civil war lies in the increased brutality and prolongation of the conflict.