Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad

Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad
Uzbek: Tavhid va jihod katibasi Kyrgyz: Катибат аль-Таухид ва аль-жихад Arabic: كتاب التوحيد والجهاد
Founder	Sirojiddin Mukhtarov †[1]
Leader	Ilmurad Khikmatov[2]
Dates of operation	2014–present
Country	Syria
Allegiance	Al-Qaeda[3] Tahrir al-Sham[4]
Ideology	Jihadism Salafism
Size	80-100 in Afghanistan (UN report) 200-500 in Syria
Allies	Imam Bukhari Jamaat Taliban[5] Ajnad al-Kavkaz Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria Al-Nusra Front[6] Al-Qaeda
Opponents	United States  Syria  Russia  China  Kyrgyzstan  Uzbekistan Islamic State
Battles and wars	War in Afghanistan (2001-2021) Syrian Civil war
Designated as a terrorist group by	United States  Uzbekistan
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Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (Uzbek: Tavhid va jihod katibasi, Kyrgyz: Катибат аль-Таухид ва аль-жихад, romanized: Katibat al'-Taukhid va al'-zhikhad, Arabic: كتائب التوحيد والجهاد, romanized: Kitā'ib al-tawḥīd wa-al-jihād) is an Uzbek/Kyrgyz jihadist militant organization based in Syria.

History

The group was established in Syria in 2014 by Sirojiddin Mukhtarov,^[7] and consists of mostly Uzbek and Kyrgyz nationals.^[8]

In 2015 the group, with the help of Al-Nusra Front and Ajnad al-Kavkaz, attempted to establish a de facto state in northwestern Syria.^[9] This was all after the fighting in Idlib province, specifically in the town of Jisr ash-Shughur.^[10]

In 2016 the group bombed the Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan, under Mukhtarov's orders.^[11] Three people were arrested and sentenced for aiding and abetting the bombing.^[12]

In 2019 the group hired hitmen to kill Aierken Saimaiti, a man who exposed a large money laundering scheme.^[13] Also in 2019, the groups Shura council voted unanimously to replace Mukhtarov with Ilmurad Khikmatov.^[14]

In 2021 two of the head propagandists of the organization were arrested in the town of Tanzim after attempting to recruit Uzbek school children to go to Syria to fight for the group.^[15]

In 2022 the United States designated the group a terrorist organization.^[16] Also the same year, in September, Mukhtarov, the original founder of the organization, was killed in a targeted airstrike by the Russian Air Force.^[17][18]

In 2023, a foreign supporter of the group in Philadelphia attempted to build an IED in order to bomb certain targets in support of the group.^[19] The group supplied the materials overseas.^[20]

In 2024 it was reported that militants from the group were operating in Idlib province of Syria and were clashing with the Syrian armed forces.^[21]

References

1. "Terrorist group's leader, native of Kyrgyzstan, killed by Russian forces in Syria". GFATF. 12 September 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
2. غاروفالو, دانيلي (4 May 2022). "كيف أحدثت الحرب الروسية على أوكرانيا انقساماً في أوساط الجهاديين؟". أخبار الآن (in Arabic). Retrieved 23 July 2023.
3. ""Катибат аль-Таухид ва аль-жихад"- "Аль-Каиданын" Борбор Азиядагы идеялык мураскору". BBC News (in Kyrgyz). Retrieved 8 October 2023.
4. "Борбор азиялык жихадчылар "Аль-Каидага" ант беришти". BBC News (in Kyrgyz). Retrieved 8 October 2023.
5. "The Transformation of Central Asian Jihadists in Syria". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
6. Merlo, Mike (30 September 2015). "Uzbek group pledges allegiance to Al Nusrah Front". FDD's Long War Journal. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
7. "Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ)". Counter Extremism Project. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
8. "Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad". TRAC. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
9. Lin, Christina (11 October 2015). "A buffer zone for Erdogan's Turkic settlements in Syria?". Asia Times. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
10. "Who is Katibat al-Tawhid wa-l-Jihad?". Syrians for Truth and Justice. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
11. "ГКНБ: Установлены организаторы и исполнители взрыва в посольстве Китая в Бишкеке". Сводка АКИpress. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
12. "Kyrgyzstan Sentences Three Over Chinese Embassy Attack". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
13. "'His Murder Is Necessary': Man Who Exposed Kyrgyz Smuggling Scheme Was Hunted By Contract Killers". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
14. Botobekov, Uran (19 April 2019). "Uzbek's Katibat al Tawhid wal Jihad changed its leader". Modern Diplomacy. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
15. "Халқаро терроризм тарафдорлари узоқ муддатга озодликдан маҳрум этилди". Uza.uz (in Uzbek). 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
16. "US designates Syrian al-Qaeda-linked group as 'Global Terrorist'". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
17. Kudryavtseva, Tatyana (10 September 2022). "Militant leader, native of Kyrgyzstan Sirojiddin Mukhtarov killed in Syria –". 24.kg. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
18. "Минобороны заявило об убийстве лидера группировки «Катиба Таухид валь-Джихад». Ее обвиняли в причастности к теракту в петербургском метро". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 8 October 2023.
19. Macaulay, Jessica; Bailey, Wakisha; Corrado, Kerri; Snyder, Dan (15 August 2023). "FBI, Philadelphia DA charge teen in terrorism probe". CBS News. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
20. Roebuck, Jeremy; Palmer, Chris (14 August 2023). "Philadelphia teen accused of buying and testing bomb-making materials in support of foreign terror group". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
21. "Uzbek militants deploy in Syria's Afrin". 22 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.