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Uzbek nationals affiliated with an Islamic extremist group involved in the Syrian civil war are seeking deportation to South Korea, a UN report states.

A Feb. 14 examination of the latest report submitted to the UN Secretary Council on Jan. 15 by the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team for the UN ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee showed that many of the Uzbek nationals affiliated with Al-Qaeda-associated groups active in Syria requested deportation from Turkey to South Korea. The report did not provide specifics on whether the individuals are currently being detained by Turkish authorities or through which channels they requested deportation.

“In the Syrian Arab Republic, Khatiba Imam Al-Bukhari (QDe.158) and Katibat al-Tawhid wal Jihad (KTJ), a battalion of ANF [the Al-Nusra Front, a Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda renamed as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in 2017] composed primarily of Uzbek nationals, have approximately 200 to 300 fighters each,” the report noted.

The Al-Nusra Front, a raging force early on in the Syrian civil war, parted ways with Islamic State when the latter unilaterally declared its annexation in 2013; the two groups have been battling since mid-2014. In response to claims that it had merged with IS in Jan. 2018, Khatiba Imam Al-Bukhari – a group based chiefly around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo – released a video in which its members swore loyalty to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Regarding the reason for the Uzbek nationals seeking deportation to South Korea, the report explained that the “total number of Uzbeks [in residence] is estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000.” Citing “member state information,” the report added, “Some Uzbek migrant workers in the Republic of Korea are reported to have been radicalized and to be a source of financing for the travel of extremists to the Syrian Arab Republic.”

An Indonesian national affiliated with IS who was deported from South Korea in 2016 is seen posing for a photograph in front of Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul.

By Jung In-hwan, staff reporter

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