Over 500 Tajik Nationals Fighting among ISIL Ranks in Syria

A sum of 519 Tajik nationals are fighting for the Takfiri terrorists in Syria, Tajikistan’s Interior Minister Ramazan Rakhimzoda announced on Saturday.

Rakhimzoda said that 35 Tajik nationals have been arrested by the republic's law enforcement forces on charges of joining the ISIL, while at least 135 others have been killed in the Syrian war.

"In addition, another 10 local residents were detained in Tajikistan’s Sughd Region. They were trying to go to Syria via third countries to take part in combat activities against the army of (President) Bashar Assad," he stressed.

Earlier this month, the Turkish army arrested scores of Tajik nationals who intended to join the ISIL near Turkey's borders with Syria.

"At least 25 Tajik nationals have been arrested by the Turkish military forces," the Russian-language Avesta.Tj news website reported.

It reported that the Tajik nationals were arrested at a bus station, while they were trying to cross the border into Syria.

The Tajik authorities deny that banned religious-extremist and terrorist organizations are operating in the country. But according to Tajik special services’ data, since the beginning of the year, tens of Tajik nationals have been detained on the suspicion and charges of taking part in banned extremist parties and movements.

In early 2014, Tajikistan prohibited the activity of such organizations as Hizb ut-Tahrir, Turkestan Islamic Movement, Tablighi Jamaat and Gruppa24.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011 with organized attacks by well-armed gangs and terrorists against both the army and civilians.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.

As the foreign-backed insurgency in Syria continues without an end in sight, the US government has boosted its political and military support to Takfiri extremists.



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