MINISTER SAYS AL-QA’IDAH PLANS TO RECRUIT KAMIKAZE GIRLS IN AZERBAIJAN FOILED

Ekho, Baku
18 Mar 06

National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov has announced his country’s
“relentless fight against terrorism” and said his ministry has
“neutralized” Al-Qa’idah’s Caucasus group that planned to recruit
Azerbaijani girls to perform kamikaze acts. In an interview to
Interfax news agency, reprinted by the Azerbaijani newspaper Ekho,
Mahmudov said that Azerbaijan’s location and major international
projects have increasingly made it “more attractive to terrorists”
and therefore his ministry gives priority to the anti-terror fight.

The following is the text of unattributed report in Azerbaijani
newspaper Ekho on 18 March headlined “They were trying to make
kamikazes of Azerbaijani girls” and subheaded “And terrorists want
to topple Azerbaijan’s secular government, says National Security
Minister Eldar Mahmudov”

“Today, international terrorism and other forms of transnational
organized crime, which operate in various spheres and often in various
countries and regions, still pose the biggest threat to national
security. This is why the special services give priority to the fight
against terrorism in defending national security.

“An analysis of the existing operational situation shows that the
nature and tactics of terrorism have undergone radical changes, and
new trends have emerged. Azerbaijan’s suitable geographic location,
the implementation of major international projects, the existence of a
large number of key infrastructure and transport facilities, and some
other factors have made the country more attractive to terrorists,”
Azerbaijan’s National Security Minister Eldar Mahmudov has said in
an interview with Interfax.

“Relentless” fight on terror

“Our relentless fight against terrorism as part of the international
anti-terror coalition irritates terrorists of all stripes almost as
much as a piece of red cloth irritates bulls. Whereas most of the
terrorists whom we detained five years ago had attempted to use our
country as a transit territory or to prepare for terrorist acts abroad,
the situation now has significantly changed. We are now detaining
terrorists who plan terrorist acts in Azerbaijan either on their own
initiative or under orders from the terrorist network headquarters,”
Mahmudov said.

“We are increasingly dealing with religious-extremist terrorist groups
that are aiming to oust the secular and democratic form of state
and force Azerbaijan to stop its participation in the international
anti-terrorist coalition,” the minister said.

Strategic facilities at risk

“In order to achieve their goals, they often plan terrorist acts
against strategic facilities such as embassies, foreign companies
and areas densely populated by foreigners. Given the growth in the
number of the above mentioned facilities, their protection becomes
increasingly important with every passing day,” Mahmudov said.

The minister believes that the resolution of this problem requires
a creative approach, and a wide range of administrative, legal,
operational, social, enlightening and even religious measures should
be taken.

“We know from experience that young religious people primarily from
the poorest strata of society – theologians or unemployed people,
20-25 year old on average – are at the core of extremist cells. And
the most difficult task that we are facing is to prevent the spread
of such cells and young Azerbaijanis from being recruited by the
international extremist cells on time,” the minister said.

Azeri girls recruited for kamikaze squad

Mahmudov said the Azerbaijani special services are experienced
enough to prevent anything like this happening. However, he said,
information about plans of the now neutralized Al-Qa’idah Caucasus
group to recruit Azerbaijani girls for a kamikaze squad “has been
the worst discovery of the past few years”.

Apart from that, “one should not overlook the problem of acts of terror
carried out by Armenian terrorist organizations with the support from
state agencies of the Republic of Armenia [as given]”.

“I should say that the fight against terrorism is difficult in
Azerbaijan because of the unresolved Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, the
occupation of 20 per cent of our territories, and also due to the
132 km stretch of Azerbaijani-Iranian border that is not under our
control. Therefore, we consider problems related to this conflict as
part of our work to ensure security and prevent terrorist threats.

Thanks to our comprehensive efforts we have managed to curb the wave
of terrorist acts that overwhelmed Azerbaijan in early 1990. But we
should always bear in mind that our mistakes can cost human lives,”
Mahmudov said.

“Reliable partner” in fight on terror

The minister said “our country is stepping up efforts regarding
various mechanisms for cooperation in the fight against terrorism
and is considered a reliable partner”.

“The detention and extradition of members of terrorist organizations,
such as Al-Qa’idah, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, Al-Jamaa al-Islamia,
the Caucasus Islamic army and the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan could
serve as an example of our achievements,” Mahmudov said and added: “We
have neutralized local cells of Jayshullah, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Al-Qa’idah
Caucasus and al-Muwahhidin. Apart from that, the Baku branches of
several foreign humanitarian organizations have been closed down on
suspicion of funding terrorism. By all means this is not a complete
list of our achievements in the fight against terrorism.”