Over 530 individuals have been successfully repatriated to Uzbekistan through the "Mehr" (Compassion) humanitarian operations, with children accounting for approximately 75% of the returnees.
The inaugural humanitarian operation was carried out on May 30, 2019, under the direct personal directive of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. During this milestone mission, 156 Uzbek citizens - predominantly women and children trapped in war-torn Syria - were safely brought back to their homeland.
Following this initial success, successive humanitarian missions were organized: Mehr-2 in October 2019, Mehr-3 in December 2020, and Mehr-4 in February 2021. Through these targeted operations, dozens of women and children were successfully evacuated and repatriated to Uzbekistan from Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan.
The final phase of the campaign, operation Mehr-5, was executed in April 2021, bringing home 92 individuals from Syria, including 24 women and 68 children.
Through the combined Mehr operations, more than 530 individuals were successfully repatriated, with children making up approximately 75% of that number.
Every single repatriated citizen was provided with official identification documents. Furthermore, each child born within the conflict zones was issued a formal Republic of Uzbekistan birth certificate.
Rather than being segregated into specialized institutions, the returning children attend regular classrooms alongside their peers in public schools. Today, nearly ten repatriated youth are pursuing higher education at universities, while nine children have gone on to become winners and medalists in regional and national academic olympiads.
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