‘‘Minval.az’’: Radical religious groups in Azerbaijan buying arms
Recently the radical groups in Azerbaijan have stirred-up, there is even information about their weapons. It is expected that in the coming months operations against radical religious groups expand, reports the Azerbaijani information portal "Minval.az."
As noted in the article, along with Syria and Iraq, the terrorist attacks in Chechnya last week showed that these radical groups are ready to act any time. A similar threat is very real for Azerbaijan and the whole Caucasus region as well."It should not be forgotten that since the ISIL was founded our country is included within the area of its activities," writes the portal.
According to the portal, recently the radical groups have stirred-up in Azerbaijan. Thus, their supporters began to get organized in Sumgait, where the signs of the IS appeared as black stickers resembling the color of its flag on the car windows. On November 12 in Sumgait Zohrab Shikhaliyev, the leader of the Salafis, was arrested.
According to information received by "Yeni Musavat" radicals who created a large network in Sumgait began to acquire weapons. "This fact is known to law enforcement agencies and is seriously monitored. It is possible that in the coming days they can spend a massive operation," the portal notes.
"Minval.az" writes that information about the existence of the "core" of radical religious groups in Sumgait is not new, and the authorities are well aware of the situation in the city. Portal adds that in December last year in Sumgait armed incident took place between the Salafis and the Khawarij, and a month ago, several armed radicals were neutralized.
According to security experts, in the upcoming months it cannot be ruled out that large-scale operations against the radicals in Baku and other cities of the country can be conducted. It is also connected with the upcoming Summer European games, concludes the portal.
Note that Azerbaijani Salafis or Wahhabis are fighting in the ranks of various terrorist groupings that operate in Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. According to the Azerbaijani news agency Vesti.az the total number of Azerbaijani terrorists in these countries equals to 300. Whereas according to FaktHeber Azerbaijani portal over the past three years only in Syria almost 200 Azerbaijani terrorists were killed.
The relationship between international terrorist groups and Azerbaijan originated in the early 1990s. That time, the Azerbaijani army, having failed in the aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), retreated with losses. Trying to save the situation, the Azerbaijani leadership, headed by Heydar Aliyev attracted to the war against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh international terrorists and members of radical groups from Afghanistan (groupings of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar), Turkey ("Grey Wolves", etc.), Chechnya (groupings Basayev and Raduyev etc.) and some other regions.
Despite the involvement in of thousands of foreign mercenaries and terrorists in the Azerbaijani army during the war, the Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh Republic failed, and the Baku authorities were forced to sign an armistice with the NKR and Armenia. However, international terrorists found ties in Azerbaijan, and used them in the future. Recruitment was conducted among Azerbaijanis, who then were sent to Afghanistan and the North Caucasus, where participated in the battles against the forces of the international coalition and Russian organizations. In recent years, the citizens of Azerbaijan are actively involved in terrorist and extremist activities in Russia, Afghanistan and Syria.