Uzbekistan jails IS militant who was recruited in Russia
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 13 November 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Uzbekistan jails IS militant who was recruited in Russia, 13 November 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/56813d149.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
November 13, 2015
A court in Uzbekistan has sentenced a young Uzbek man to 13 years in jail on charges of fighting alongside Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.
Uzbekistan's Supreme Court said on November 13 that 23-year-old Muhammad Abdullaev pleaded guilty and confessed that he had been recruited in Astrakhan, Russia, in 2013 by IS supporters who sent him to Syria via Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The court said he confirmed that he joined IS fighters in Turkey and then crossed into Syria.
He later returned to Turkey, where he stayed for one year, before returning to Uzbekistan, where he was arrested.
Russian Prosecutor-General Yury Chaika said on November 10 that citizens of 100 countries, including Russia and former Soviet republics, were fighting along Islamic militants in the Middle East.
Earlier in September, the first deputy director of Russia's Federal Security Service, Sergei Smirnov, estimated there were about 3,000 Central Asians fighting as part of several different Islamic militant groups in Syria and Iraq.
Based on reporting by Ca-news.org and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website