Zahid (Turkistan Islamic Party)

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Abdulaziz Dawud Hudaberdi
Native name
ئابدۇلازىز داۋۇد ھۇدابەردى
Birth nameAbdulaziz Dawud Hudaberdi
Nickname(s)Zahid
Zahid Qarim
Abu Mohammad
Abu Mohammad Zahid
Born (1977-03-07) 7 March 1977 (age 48)
Aral Village, Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture, People's Republic of China
Allegiance Turkistan Islamic Party
Branch Syrian Armed Forces
Years of service Turkistan Islamic Party (2010–2025)
Syrian Armed Forces (2025–present)
RankBrigadier General
Unit Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (until 2025)
Commands133rd Division
Battles / wars Battle of Aleppo (2024)
Website https://www.muhsinlar.net/

Abdulaziz Dawood Hudaberdi [1] [a] (born 7 March 1977), more commonly referred to by his nom de guerre Zahid, [2] is a brigadier general in the Syrian Army, leading the 133rd Division. He previously served as the emir of the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (TIP). [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Zahid is an ethnic Uyghur Muslim and was born into a farming family as Abdulaziz Dawood Hudaberdi in Aral Village, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. After becoming a Hafiz in 1996 he joined the armed conflict within Xinjiang. He went back and forth into Chinese custody throughout the late 1990s and 2000s until he obtained a fake passport and left the country for Malaysia in 2010. He then travelled to Iran and then Afghanistan. Zahid joined the Turkistan Islamic Party and completed military training in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2012. [5]

Syrian civil war

As part of the TIP he was sent to Syria in 2012, quickly becoming a top commander among rebel forces. [1] In 2013 he was a commander participating in the Siege of Base 46 and the battle of Khan Tuman. In 2015 he took part in the Jisr al Shughour offensive and the Siege of Abu al-Duhur. Zahid also took part in the Battle of Aleppo. Furthermore the Turkistan Islamic Party took part in many other operations mainly around the Latakia region and Jabal Zawiya. [6] In 2021, he graduated from a military institution in Idlib. The Syrian TIP also played a prominent role in the battles of the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives. [1]

Fall of the Assad regime

After the Fall of the Assad regime on December 8, Zahid was seen alongside TIP fighters vowing to continue their fight against China for the East Turkestan independence movement. [7] This is in line with videos released on their own website (Muhsinlar.net) [8] In the closing days of 2024, the Syrian Armed Forces were restructured and Zahid was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. [3] He now leads the newly established 133rd Division. [9] During a conference in Idlib on 5 January, Abu Omar (Kawsar), the previous leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria, appointed Zahid as the new Emir of the Syria branch of the TIP. [2] On 18 May, the Syrian branch was TIP was integrated into Syrian Army's 84th Division, a newly created unit which was largely recruited from foreign volunteers. [1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Uyghur : ئابدۇلازىز داۋۇد ھۇدابەردى, romanized: ʾAbdulāzīz Dāwūd Hudaberdi

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Bill Roggio; Ahmad Sharawi (22 May 2025). "Syrian military integrates Al Qaeda-linked terror group into its ranks". Long War Journal. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
  2. 1 2 مەنزىل (2025-01-06). "مايور گېنېرال ئابدۇلئەزىز داۇۇد (زاھىد) «ت ئى پ شام شۆبىسى» ئەمىرى بولۇپ تەيىنلەندى" [Major General Abdulaziz Dawood (Zahid) has been newly appointed as ‘Emir’ of the Turkistan Islamic Party’s (TIP) Sham (Syria) Branch]. مۇھسىنلار (in Uyghur). Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  3. 1 2 "Aaron Y. Zelin (@azelin) on X". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 2024-12-30. Retrieved 2025-01-21.
  4. ↑ Hidayat, Arslan (2 January 2025). "Who is Abdulaziz Dawud Hudaberdi (Zahid), leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in Syria?". Twitter. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
  5. ↑ Farooq, Umar (2025-07-07). "What Are Uyghurs Doing in Syria?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2025-07-03.
  6. ↑ Hidayat, Arslan (2 January 2025). "Who is Abdulaziz Dawud Hudaberdi (Zahid), leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in Syria? Part 2". Twitter .
  7. ↑ The Telegraph (2024-12-14). Uyghur fighters in Syria vow to come for China next . Retrieved 2025-01-24– via YouTube.
  8. ↑ مەنزىل (2024-12-07). "جەڭ قىل چېكىنمە" [Fight, Don't retreat]. مۇھسىنلار (in Uyghur). Retrieved 2025-01-25.
  9. ↑ Hidayat, Arslan (2 January 2025). "Who is Abdulaziz Dawud Hudaberdi (Zahid), leader of the Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) in Syria? Part 3". Twitter .
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