The IMU does not pose a serious military threat. Should they attack there is a danger of social havoc. The IMU has increasingly sophisticated training and support. The IMU is a maturing organization, a vulnerable population and international financing. And locals are being trained in Afghanistan.
Border security is of crucial importance.
But even if forces attack the IMU the conditions on the ground that sustain the IMU will remain. The region needs economic reform in order to stop the spread of radical Islam. The Uzbeks are probing actions to see what can be done with the Taliban. Mullah Omar views the holy sites of Central Asia as places to be targeted for conquest. The IMU provides Russia the opportunity to reengage itself in the region.