Photo: daryo.uz
An Uzbek national, Obid Saparov, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in a 2022 rocket attack on the southern city of Termez, carried out from across the Afghan border. The ruling was delivered by an Uzbek court and reported by Kun.uz.
Saparov was found guilty on multiple charges under Uzbekistan’s Criminal Code, including:
Article 155 – Terrorism
Article 155-2 – Undergoing training or travel for terrorist purposes
Article 159 – Encroachment on the constitutional order
Article 161 – Sabotage
Article 244-1 – Dissemination of materials threatening public safety
Article 244-2 – Involvement in banned organizations
During the trial, the defendant expressed remorse and asked for leniency. The final sentence was determined by combining the penalties for each charge.
According to case materials, Saparov, born in 1978, left Uzbekistan in 2013 for work in Ufa, Russia. There, he reportedly came under the influence of an extremist cell leader affiliated with the Mujahideen, an organization that propagated the ideas of the banned Islamic Movement of Turkestan. The group circulated jihadist messages from former leader Tahir Yuldashev.
Saparov eventually traveled from Russia to Iran, then Pakistan, where he formally joined the Islamic Movement of Turkestan. He received weapons and explosives training and adopted the alias «Khabbob.» After the group dissolved in 2016, he aligned with Wilayat Khorasan, the Islamic State's Afghan branch.
As part of ISIS-K, Saparov helped recruit fighters and appeared in extremist propaganda calling for the overthrow of the Uzbek government. He also reportedly took part in combat operations in Afghanistan and was linked to terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings at the Russian Embassy in Kabul and a Sikh temple, both of which resulted in numerous casualties. According to his testimony, the bombers were a fellow Uzbek and a Tajik national.
In July 2022, Saparov handed over stored artillery shells to another militant known as “Tariq.” These were later launched toward Termez using a homemade multiple rocket launcher mounted on a Suzuki minivan. The rockets landed in the Majnuntol neighborhood of Termez, damaging four homes but causing no injuries, as none of the munitions exploded.
The Taliban, which now controls Afghanistan, detained several individuals involved in the attack. Three were killed during the arrest, and five others were captured. The Taliban stated the shelling was intended to sabotage relations between Kabul and Tashkent.
Saparov fled to Pakistan, where he was arrested in September 2024. He was extradited to Uzbekistan in January 2025 on a special flight alongside other Uzbek nationals affiliated with extremist groups.
He will now serve his sentence in a high-security prison.
On July 5, 2022, five rockets fired from Afghan territory struck Termez, causing minor property damage but no casualties. The incident prompted joint investigations by Uzbek and Afghan authorities.
