Counter-terrorism operation in Azerbaijan

According to a recent statement, the State Security Service and the Ministry of Interior of Azerbaijan conducted a large-scale anti-terrorist operation on 3 February. Initial investigations revealed that a former member of the “Forest Brothers” terrorist group, Qadir Hajiyev, had re-established a criminal group to plan terrorist attacks in the northern area of Gusar district. To support their plans, the group prepared several underground shelters in the forest and supplied them with weapons, explosives, and other necessities. The counter-terrorism operation resulted in the arrest of six terrorists and the deaths of five others: four detonated explosive devices to escape arrest, resulting in their deaths, while the fifth wounded a counter-terrorism officer with an RGO-78 frag grenade before being killed. Their hideouts were searched and caches of materials and chemical components used to make homemade explosive devices, as well as remote detonators, weapons, and ammunition, were discovered. Details of the nature of the terrorist network, including its structure, resources, and planned attacks, were also uncovered. The captured terrorists have been charged under several articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code and are currently in custody pending trial.