Two killed in police anti-terror raid in Azerbaijan

Two men were killed and another one was ted during a counter-terrorism raid against a group suspected of planning terror attacks in Azerbaijan, the country's State Security Service said in a statement released on Thursday.

The extremists were killed as a result of a special raid carried out by the State Security Service of Azerbaijan in various regions of the country, the statement says, adding that "during the raid the group resisted the police officers" and one of the extremists attacked them with Stechkin automatic pistol.

According to the statement, State Security Service received credible information of a potential terrorist threat and alleged "creation of an armed group in Azerbaijan." The information revealed that the group pledged allegiance to the terrorist groups involved in the armed conflicts abroad and was reportedly preparing terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan.

A criminal case on a number of articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan has been launched. The investigation is underway.

In recent history, 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. Endit