The former head of Tajikistan’s Special Forces police division who dropped out of sight last month has resurfaced in Syria, not a member of Islamic State.  It’s a troubling development because not only is he the highest-ranking officer believed to have joined the insane Islamist cause, but he was also trained by the US military.

40-year old Gulmurod Khalimov is seen in a propaganda video scowling and sneering, and dressed in black.  He vows to bring bloodshed back home with him to Tajikistan, and jihad to Russia and the United States.

“Listen, you American pigs, I’ve been three times to America, and I saw how you train fighters to kill Muslims,” he said.  “God willing, I will come with this weapon to your cities, your homes, and we will kill you.” 

Wow, that’s gratitude for ya.  The US provides millions of dollars in training and equipment to Tajikistan’s OMON special forces police unit for counter-drug activities.  A US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks shows that in 2009, Khalimov’s unit ran an entire security drill at the US Embassy in Tajikistan, and doing it pretty well.

Khalimov was apparently driven to defect to Islamic State because Tajikistan’s secular government doesn’t allow police to wear Islamic dress.  He’s also upset about the economic and social hardships faced by thousands to Tajik migrant workers in Russia.