A man from Namangan who participated in the battles in Syria was sentenced to 15 years and 2 months in prison

A man from Namangan who participated in armed conflicts in Syria and later transported people from Turkey to the border of that country has been sentenced to prison.

It was revealed that Kh.U., born in 1982, traveled to Russia in 2004 for work. He first worked in construction and later at a catering establishment in Moscow.

During his time in Russia, Kh.U. began attending underground religious gatherings. Later, with the intention of joining an armed group, he left Russia in 2010 and traveled to Afghanistan via Azerbaijan and Iran. From there, he was sent to Pakistan for combat training.

In 2012, Kh.U. reached Syria via Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey. In court, he stated that he provided group members with food and clothing, and took them to markets and hospitals. In early 2014, he participated in one of the armed clashes and was wounded. After recovering from his injury, Kh.U. began engaging in trade. He stated in court that in 2015, he also earned income from the oil trade.

"I bought 100 barrels of oil for 6,000 USD and sold it for 12,000 USD. I gave 4,000 USD of that to the community," Kh.U. said in his court testimony.

In September 2021, Kh.U. crossed from Syria into Turkey with his family. Detained at the border, the man was held in prison for 6 months and 14 days. After his release, he lived in Istanbul and worked in passenger transportation.

Kh.U. stated in court that during this period, an individual who introduced himself as an intelligence officer asked him to provide information about people involved in terrorist activities. In exchange, he and his family were promised facilitation. Later, Kh.U. began transporting people heading to Syria from Istanbul to the city of Reyhanlı near the border. He took photos of the passengers' documents and sent the information to that individual.

Kh.U. stated that every one or two weeks, he transported four people to Reyhanlı, thus carrying a total of 50–60 people. Among them were citizens of Uzbekistan. Court documents note that some of them later joined terrorist organizations in Syria.

"I did not transport them to join terrorist organizations. I only took them from Istanbul to Reyhanlı and received the fare," Kh.U. said in court.

However, his Telegram and WhatsApp chats revealed documents of individuals heading to Syria, as well as information regarding their transportation and payments.

On October 11, 2025, Kh.U. was detained by Turkish law enforcement agencies while transporting five citizens of Uzbekistan to cross into Syrian territory. A forensic medical examination conducted in 2026 identified at least 26 foreign bodies in Kh.U.'s body. Experts did not rule out that they could be metal fragments that entered the body as a result of an explosion.

The Pop District Criminal Court found Kh.U. guilty under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code related to terrorism, recruitment, participation in the activities of a terrorist organization, and other crimes. By partially adding the sentences, he was ultimately sentenced to 15 years and 2 months of imprisonment.