A man who fought for terrorists in Syria brought to Uzbekistan
According to the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a 24-year-old native of Jizzakh region, who left for Syria and he joined a terrorist organization in June last year, has been returned to the country.
The young man shared his story of joining the extremists. He was listening to audio and video lectures preachers Abdulloh Zufar and Sodiq Samarkandi online and then met a member of the Katiba Tawhid Wal Jihad terrorist organization in Syria.
Following the instructions of this acquaintance, in June 2023, in order to avoid the attention of law enforcement officers, he bought an expensive ticket and flew to Istanbul on the same day.
“He told me not to tell anyone that I was going to Syria. He told me to buy a ticket to Istanbul without booking in advance. He taught me that if you buy a ticket on the day of departure, no one will guess where you are going. I went to get a ticket. I bought a ticket that was two or three times more expensive, because I needed it urgently, and flew on this plane. I was greeted by an Arab boy named Muhammad. He took me to Idlib. On June 23, we crossed the border and entered Syrian territory,” said the young man.
The State Security Service report indicates that the Uzbek citizen, having arrived from Turkey to Syria, underwent ideological and military training among members of the terrorist organization Katiba Tawhid Wal Jihad. However, he later received serious injuries as a result of military operations carried out by the Syrian army. After recovery, he was involved in economic work in a terrorist organization.
“I spent 35-40 days in critical condition in the hospital. Conditions were as follows: no food, so I have not eaten anything for about 15-20 days. Medicines were also not administered on time. Even while I was lying down, they came to us preaching. They were explaining how hijra and jihad were carried out. They were saying that we had to fight the infidels. They taught us that the Syrian state oppressed us and that we had to resist them,” the man said. “Later I realized it was wrong. The thing is, I realized that in the place wh ere I went to commit jihad, there was nothing like that. My life was wasted. People should feel that they live in peace [and be happy because of that].”
In December 2023, he was detained while crossing from Syria to a neighboring country for medical treatment and taken to Uzbekistan.
A criminal case has been initiated against the person under Articles 155−2 (Training, leaving the country or travelling for the purpose of carrying out terrorist activities) and 244−2 (Creation, leadership, participation in religious extremist, separatist, fundamentalist or other prohibited organizations) of the Criminal Code of Uzbekistan. He is in custody.