Azattyk highlights the role Central Asians played in anti-Assad movement in Syria

According to Azattyk, many individuals born and raised in Central Asia are among the rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad from power. The media outlet analyzed a video clip in which one of the rebels in the Syrian settlement of Deir Semaan spoke Tajik.

The video, shot on Dec. 3, shows a group of armed individuals wearing camouflage near Simeon Monastery, a Christian landmark located 30 kilometers from Aleppo, Syria’s second-largest city.

One of the men spoke Tajik, stating that their group had seized the territory from «infidels.» However, it remains unclear which group he was referring to.

An undisclosed source in Tajik intelligence told Azattyk that such videos are a significant concern for the Tajik government, describing them as a «time bomb.» The authorities fear that these rebels, accustomed to violence and equipped with extensive combat experience, could return home and pose a substantial threat.

The media outlet also noted that many ethnic Tajiks, Uzbeks and Kyrgyz are part of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a militant group opposing the Assad regime. However, Azattyk acknowledged that it does not possess evidence proving that citizens of Uzbekistan or Kyrgyzstan participated in combat operations in Syria.

Additionally, citizens of Kazakhstan have been involved in the devastating civil war in Syria. The Kazakh government has organized two airlift operations to repatriate its nationals. In total, Kazakhstan evacuated 607 individuals from Syria, most of whom were children.

Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have conducted similar operations to repatriate their citizens.

In February 2024, Kazakhstan’s National Security Committee revealed that approximately 60 Kazakhstani nationals might still be in Syria, half of whom are men, as reported by Press.kz. Kursiv.media also requested an update from the agency regarding the current number of Kazakhstanis in Syria.