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BAKU: Azeri Rebels In Syria Pose "Potential Threat" - Experts

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  • BAKU: Azeri Rebels In Syria Pose "Potential Threat" - Experts

    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]

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