One of the leaders of Katibat al-Imam Bukhari terrorist group killed in Syria.

A 51-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan named Ulugbek Babamuratov who was one of the leaders of Katibat Imam al Bukhari terrorist group, was killed in Syria, a Podrobno.uz correspondent reports, citing data from law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan.

“Katibat Imam al Bukhari” is the largest Uzbek group in Syria. It played a significant role in the conflicts in northeast Syria, fighting alongside various terrorist groups, including the al-Nusra Front, an affiliate of al-Qaeda. In December 2015, it posted a video showing a boot camp for children being taught how to use weapons, and in April 2017, a video showing armed men involved in clashes. In 2018, the US State Department designated the group as a terrorist organization.

Babamuratov was temporarily registered in the Yunusabad district of Tashkent. He had a secondaty education. In 2009-2010, he established and led a jihadist community in Termez city.

In 2011, most members of the community were detained by law enforcement agencies, and the rest were put on the wanted list. The jihadists who fled the country first found shelter in Russia and then migrated to Turkey.

In May 2013, Babamuratov organized the Katibat Imam al Bukhari foreign terrorist organization   in Syria. In the same year, a criminal case was launched against him under Article 244-2 (Establishment, Leadership, Participation in Religious Extremist, Separatist, Fundamentalist or Other Prohibited Organizations) of the Criminal Code, and he was put on the wanted list.

“Currently, intelligence has been received that Babamuratov was killed while fighting in Syria,” noted a source in the law enforcement agencies of Uzbekistan.