Uzbekistan group backed by Bin Laden termed terrorist by U.S.

WASHINGTON — The United States has deemed as terrorists a Central Asian group supported by Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden.

The State Department has added the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan as a terrorist group. The group will join 28 other groups on the State Department list.

Under U.S. law, all contacts with the group is illegal and suspected members could be barred from entering the United States. Congress has been notified.

"The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan has threatened the lives of civilians and regional security and undermined the rule of law," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It is responsible for criminal acts of terrorism against the citizens of Uzbekistan and has also kidnapped foreigners, including four American mountain climbers who were held hostage last month before being able to escape."

U.S. officials cited the taking of a group of Japanese geologists by the Islamic movement in 1999. They said the Uzbekistan group was also involved in explosions in Tashkent that killed 16 people last year.

The movement called for the overthrow of the Uzbekistan government and has claimed responsibility for incursions into Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.

U.S. officials said that Islamic movement members have been trained in Bin Laden camps in Afghanistan. The group has also received help from the Afghan ruling Taliban faction.