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2 policemen, 4 extremists killed in anti-terror raid in Azerbaijan

Xinhua, November 27, 2015 Adjust font size:

Four alleged members of a radical Islamist group and two policemen were killed in a shootout during a raid in Azerbaijan on Thursday, the country's Interior Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office said in a joint statement.

The Islamist extremists were killed as a result of the special raid carried out by the Azerbaijani police in Nardaran settlement (25 kilometers north of Baku), the statement said.

The suspects opened fire when police attempted to arrest "leaders of an unregistered radical Islamist group," it said.

The group, called the Movement for Muslim Unity, "resisted the police officers, who were attacked with a grenade and automatic fire," it added.

As a result, four group members were liquidated and several more injured. Two policemen died in the clash. Fourteen people have been arrested, including the leader of the group Tale Bagirzade, authorities said.

According to the statement, the group was supplied with various types of firearms, ammunition, explosives and devices from their supporters in Baku and Azerbaijan's regions and reportedly prepared to commit terrorist attacks.

A lot of automatic weapons and cold steel were found at the scene.

The Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office filed a criminal case. The investigation is underway.

International terrorist organizations including Al Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, Azerbaijani Jamaat, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Islamic International Brigade, ISIS, Jeyshullah, ASALA and PKK are banned in Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani security services have focused on the threat posed by radical and nationalistic Islamic militant organisations, such as those responsible for the 1994 Baku Metro bombings and the 2007 Baku terrorist plot, and the threat posed by Armenian terrorist groups.

The country's Ministry of National Security is primarily responsible for combating terrorism, although the Ministry of Internal Affairs also plays a role as the country's primary law enforcement entity. Enditem