Man behind the 2022 rocket attack on Uzbekistan sentenced to 16 years

On July 5, 2022, five shells landed in the city of Termez, Surkhandarya region, having been fired from Afghan territory. At the time, both Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Taliban’s interim government in Afghanistan stated that an investigation was underway. On June 26 of this year, the Uzbek citizen responsible for the attack was sentenced to 16 years in prison. QALAMPIR.UZ has reviewed the court’s verdict.

According to the court ruling, O.S., born in 1978, joined the extremist group known as the "Jihadists" in the Shahrisabz district of Kashkadarya region in 2013. He attended meetings and listened to lectures promoting "jihad" and "hijrah." That same year, while working at construction sites in the Russian Federation, he came under the influence of a recruiter linked to the "Ufa City" branch of the extremist organization.

In 2013, he traveled from Russia to Iran via Azerbaijan, and the following year crossed into Pakistan. There, he pledged allegiance (“bayat”) to the Turkistan Islamic Movement (TIM), confirming his intent to participate in extremist activities. In Mirali, Pakistan, he adopted the alias "Khabbob" and received weapons and explosives training in militant camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He later took part in combat operations alongside TIM members in Afghanistan.

Following the dissolution of TIM in 2016, O.S. joined the “Islamic State of Khorasan Province” (ISKP). He became involved in recruitment, logistics, and propaganda efforts, including producing media content. Forensic analysis confirmed that his voice was used in broadcasts of the "Friday to Friday" program on the “Voice of Khorasan” channel, which promoted calls for the overthrow of the Uzbek government and unconstitutional actions.

O.S. also participated in combat against Afghan government forces, U.S.-led coalition troops, and later, Taliban forces in provinces including Jalalabad, Kunduz, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Kabul between 2016 and 2024.

In June 2022, he was implicated in terrorist attacks in Kabul, reportedly planned with group members “Kh. Osimi,” “Abu Muhammad Tajiki,” “Zubayr,” and others. These attacks targeted a Hindu-Sikh temple, the Russian embassy, and central streets of the city, resulting in civilian casualties.

Additionally, O.S., in collaboration with members of the armed groups “Toriq” and “Hafizullah Nurmuhammad oglu,” launched rocket attacks on Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Notably, on July 5, 2022, around 17:00, five improvised 100-mm shells launched from a 107-mm multiple rocket launcher landed in Termez—damaging the stadium of the Regional Department of Sanitary and Epidemiological Wellbeing and Public Health, as well as four private homes.

After being captured by the Taliban during an attempted terrorist attack in Kabul in July 2024, O.S. fled to Quetta, Pakistan, via Iran, where he resumed his activities under the guidance of ISKP.

On the night of September 20, 2024, Pakistani security forces arrested O.S. and his associates in an apartment in Quetta. They remained in custody until January 24, 2025, after which he was extradited to Tashkent on a special flight.

On June 26, 2025, the Yakkasaroy District Criminal Court reviewed the case. In court, O.S. expressed remorse for his actions and requested leniency, citing his lack of prior convictions and family circumstances. However, the court found him guilty under several articles of Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, including:

•  Article 155, Part 3, Clause “b” (terrorism resulting in grave consequences);
•  Article 155-2, Part 1 (training, departure, or travel for the purpose of terrorism);
•  Article 159, Part 3, Clause “b” (assault on the constitutional system by an organized group);
•  Article 161 (subversion);
•  Article 244-1, Part 3, Clauses “a, g” (distribution of extremist materials using media or the internet);
•  Article 244-2, Part 1 (membership in banned religious extremist organizations).

He was sentenced to 16 years of imprisonment through partial addition of sentences, in accordance with Article 59 of the Criminal Code.

It should be noted that in May this year, a clandestine religious extremist group affiliated with the Jihadist movement was uncovered in the city of Andijan. Its leader, U.A., born in 1981, had formed a 12-member group that regularly met in city teahouses and aimed to join the terrorist group “Secretary of Tawhid and Jihad” in Syria. They had also begun collecting funds labeled as “Baytulmal” to support their operations.