On July 5, 2022, five shells were fired from Afghan territory into the city of Termez. One of the shells landed on a sports ground in the yard of the Surkhandarya Regional Sanitary and Epidemiological Service (SES) building, while the other four struck residential houses. It has been established that the shells were launched into Uzbekistan under the direction of ISIL (“Islamic State”) commanders and executed by trained specialists. The group responsible had previously carried out several terrorist acts in Kabul in June 2022. Among its members were citizens of Uzbekistan.
One of the individuals involved in the shelling of Termez has been prosecuted. According to court documents reviewed by Kun.uz, Obid Saparov, born in 1978, traveled to Ufa, Russia, on June 11, 2013, for employment, where he worked on construction sites. During this time, he fell under the influence of a local representative of the extremist religious organization “Jihadists.”
In one of the rented apartments in Ufa, Saparov regularly listened to audio and video materials produced by the “Jundullah” propaganda studio affiliated with the international terrorist group “Islamic Movement of Turkestan.” These materials featured calls by Tohir Yuldoshev emphasizing that it was obligatory for every Muslim to migrate (hijrah), participate in “jihad” against non-believers in Arab lands to attain martyrdom, and join special military training camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan for implementing Sharia law.
In his initial interrogation, Saparov confessed that in 2013, he traveled with others (whose cases were separated into different proceedings) from Azerbaijan to Iran’s city of Zahedan by bus, and in March 2014, crossed into Mirali in Pakistan’s Waziristan region via Afghanistan to join the “Islamic Movement of Turkestan.” He adopted the alias “Khabbab.” It was confirmed that he participated in extremist, separatist, fundamentalist, and other banned organizations.
In June 2014, he underwent combat training at a military field camp belonging to the “Islamic Movement of Turkestan” in Pakistan’s mountainous Shawal area. Under the guidance of instructors with the aliases “Usama” and “Luqman,” he learned practical warfare tactics, including the use of weapons and explosive devices.
Between 2013 and 2015, Saparov lived in various camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan under the patronage of the Islamic Movement of Turkestan. He worked in the group's logistics center. In early 2016, after the organization split into various factions and ceased activities, Saparov joined the Khorasan Province branch of the international terrorist organization “Islamic State” in Afghanistan. Between 2016 and 2024, he lived in various regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan under ISIL’s support. Initially, he was tasked with welcoming new recruits and providing accommodation, later transitioning to work in the group’s media center.
