Uyghur Fighters Describe Role in Syrian Rebel Offensive That Toppled Assad

Uyghur fighters from China's Xinjiang region took part in a November 2024 rebel offensive that captured Aleppo and later contributed to the fall of the Assad government. NPR interviewed more than 40 fighters and their families in rebel-held northern Syria over the course of a month.

The fighters described clearing a water tunnel more than two miles long behind government lines. One unit positioned itself inside the tunnel with oxygen tanks while another waited in olive groves. At dawn the tunnel unit emerged behind regime troops and the second unit attacked from the front, scattering government forces.

Hobayd, 31, commanded the tunnel unit. He said the fighters remained steadfast and all survived the operation. He recalled chasing government troops toward Damascus in the weeks after Aleppo fell.

The Uyghurs became the largest contingent of foreign fighters in Syria and took on tasks other rebel groups avoided. Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said they had an outsized role in the civil war and were among the most battle-hardened fighters.

The new Syrian government integrated the largest Uyghur militia into the reconstituted Syrian National Army and appointed several Uyghur commanders as officers. There is discussion of granting some fighters Syrian citizenship.

China has refused to lift terrorism sanctions on Syria until the government addresses the presence of Uyghur fighters. Beijing has long viewed Uyghur militants abroad as terrorists and has accused them of involvement in attacks inside China. The fighters said they left China because of repression that included reeducation camps starting in 2017.

They expressed hope of preserving their culture and one day returning to the region they call East Turkestan.