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AZERI REBELS IN SYRIA POSE "POTENTIAL THREAT" - EXPERTS
Ekho, ( in Russian), Azerbaijan
Jan 10 2014
Baku-based pundits have slammed Azerbaijani nationals fighting the
al-Asad forces in Syria and described them as "potential threat"
for the state.
"If 100 Azerbaijani nationals were killed in a foreign country,
calling their fight as jihad, and intend to turn their country into
a religious state, there is a potential threat that such individuals
may become terrorists in Azerbaijan," security expert Ilham Ismayil
told opposition Azadliq paper.
"The passage of these citizens to Syria via Turkey was not controlled
previously, but now, some steps have been taken in this connection,"
he added.
In an interview with ANN news website, the leader of the Karabakh
Liberation Organization, Akif Nagi, described the Azerbaijani jihadists
as "mentally troubled and patriotic", adding that "they are the people
of war who want to fight although there are no suitable conditions
for them here".
He mentioned Azerbaijani jihadist Rustam Asgarov, who was recently
killed in Syria, and said that before his death, Rustam called his
father from Turkey and asked him "if there are signs of going to war
in Karabakh in Azerbaijan, we will return back". His father said that
there is no such an indication and then he went to Syria, Nagi added.
Azerbaijani theologian Teymur Atayev said that "they may think that
they are fighting jihad in Syria. But the fact is that the Syrian
events are extremely politicized".
"Nobody knows who is financing Azerbaijanis in Syria and whose weapons
they are using. There is no sign of jihad against al-Asad as Syria
is not the land of Azerbaijanis that must be protected from invaders
and there is no war against Islam in Syria," he added.
PhD in law Kamil Salimov told Ekho that "the Azerbaijani nationals who
intend to fight in Syria can only be identified thorough intelligence
and operational search activities. There is a need to take pre-emptive
steps, hold talks [with them] to prevent their participation in this
armed conflict."
In his turn, lawyer Elcin Qambarov said that there is a need to
make some changes to the law of the Azerbaijan Republic on "fighting
terrorism" and add a number of penalties for terrorist activities,
stressing that "stricter legislation will play a positive role in
this sphere".
BBCM note: Several hundred Azerbaijani nationals are fighting in the
ongoing civil war in Syria with about 100 reportedly killed. The
majority of them are fighting on the side of extremist Sunni
groups against the government of Bashar al-Asad and hail from the
north-western region of Azerbaijan, mainly populated by ethnic
minorities with ties to Russia's Dagestan.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elman Abdullayev told APA on 9 January that
"we are trying to determine whether or not the persons reportedly
killed there are Azerbaijani citizens. If those persons are proved
to be Azerbaijani citizens, it should be investigated how they went
to Syria".
[Translated from Russian]
Ekho, ( in Russian), Azerbaijan
Jan 10 2014
Baku-based pundits have slammed Azerbaijani nationals fighting the
al-Asad forces in Syria and described them as "potential threat"
for the state.
"If 100 Azerbaijani nationals were killed in a foreign country,
calling their fight as jihad, and intend to turn their country into
a religious state, there is a potential threat that such individuals
may become terrorists in Azerbaijan," security expert Ilham Ismayil
told opposition Azadliq paper.
"The passage of these citizens to Syria via Turkey was not controlled
previously, but now, some steps have been taken in this connection,"
he added.
In an interview with ANN news website, the leader of the Karabakh
Liberation Organization, Akif Nagi, described the Azerbaijani jihadists
as "mentally troubled and patriotic", adding that "they are the people
of war who want to fight although there are no suitable conditions
for them here".
He mentioned Azerbaijani jihadist Rustam Asgarov, who was recently
killed in Syria, and said that before his death, Rustam called his
father from Turkey and asked him "if there are signs of going to war
in Karabakh in Azerbaijan, we will return back". His father said that
there is no such an indication and then he went to Syria, Nagi added.
Azerbaijani theologian Teymur Atayev said that "they may think that
they are fighting jihad in Syria. But the fact is that the Syrian
events are extremely politicized".
"Nobody knows who is financing Azerbaijanis in Syria and whose weapons
they are using. There is no sign of jihad against al-Asad as Syria
is not the land of Azerbaijanis that must be protected from invaders
and there is no war against Islam in Syria," he added.
PhD in law Kamil Salimov told Ekho that "the Azerbaijani nationals who
intend to fight in Syria can only be identified thorough intelligence
and operational search activities. There is a need to take pre-emptive
steps, hold talks [with them] to prevent their participation in this
armed conflict."
In his turn, lawyer Elcin Qambarov said that there is a need to
make some changes to the law of the Azerbaijan Republic on "fighting
terrorism" and add a number of penalties for terrorist activities,
stressing that "stricter legislation will play a positive role in
this sphere".
BBCM note: Several hundred Azerbaijani nationals are fighting in the
ongoing civil war in Syria with about 100 reportedly killed. The
majority of them are fighting on the side of extremist Sunni
groups against the government of Bashar al-Asad and hail from the
north-western region of Azerbaijan, mainly populated by ethnic
minorities with ties to Russia's Dagestan.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elman Abdullayev told APA on 9 January that
"we are trying to determine whether or not the persons reportedly
killed there are Azerbaijani citizens. If those persons are proved
to be Azerbaijani citizens, it should be investigated how they went
to Syria".
[Translated from Russian]