Religious radicals clash with frontier guards on Azeri-Iranian border
A deadly shooting occurred on the Azerbaijan-Iran
border between a group of religious radicals and frontier guards on
Thursday evening, law enforcement agencies said.
During an attempt by two individuals to illegally cross the border while bypassing the checkpoint located close to a village in Azerbaijan`s southern Jalilabad district, frontier guards faced armed resistance from the trespassers, and two hand grenades were thrown at the border patrol, according to a joint statement by the State Border Service and Prosecutor General`s Office. As a result, both trespassers, as well as a 19-year-old frontier guard, Elton Isgandarov, were killed and a border officer, Maj. Vazir Gafarov, critically wounded. Isgandarov saved his fellow servicemen by courageously throwing himself on a grenade.
The border trespassers have been identified as Sadig Hashimov, 23, a Baku resident, and Ramin Mammadov, a 28-year-old resident of the Fizuli district. A compass and religious books were found on their dead bodies. Both men were bearded and wore watches on their right wrists. Investigators have established that they had maintained close ties with two members of the "Forest Brothers" armed group.
Their attempt to illegally cross the border had been assisted by a 25-year-old individual who lives in the Sahil settlement of the Garadagh district outside Baku. The court has ordered to arrest him.
During searches conducted in the Fizuli and the Sahil settlement, law enforcement officers found large quantities of religious literature, video tapes and CD recordings.
Most of the "Forest Brothers" members were seized by law enforcement agencies in 2007. Eighteen other individuals were later charged with setting up an illegal armed group linked to the Al-Qaeda and Al-Jihad groups, and received jail sentences in mid-2008.
During an attempt by two individuals to illegally cross the border while bypassing the checkpoint located close to a village in Azerbaijan`s southern Jalilabad district, frontier guards faced armed resistance from the trespassers, and two hand grenades were thrown at the border patrol, according to a joint statement by the State Border Service and Prosecutor General`s Office. As a result, both trespassers, as well as a 19-year-old frontier guard, Elton Isgandarov, were killed and a border officer, Maj. Vazir Gafarov, critically wounded. Isgandarov saved his fellow servicemen by courageously throwing himself on a grenade.
The border trespassers have been identified as Sadig Hashimov, 23, a Baku resident, and Ramin Mammadov, a 28-year-old resident of the Fizuli district. A compass and religious books were found on their dead bodies. Both men were bearded and wore watches on their right wrists. Investigators have established that they had maintained close ties with two members of the "Forest Brothers" armed group.
Their attempt to illegally cross the border had been assisted by a 25-year-old individual who lives in the Sahil settlement of the Garadagh district outside Baku. The court has ordered to arrest him.
During searches conducted in the Fizuli and the Sahil settlement, law enforcement officers found large quantities of religious literature, video tapes and CD recordings.
Most of the "Forest Brothers" members were seized by law enforcement agencies in 2007. Eighteen other individuals were later charged with setting up an illegal armed group linked to the Al-Qaeda and Al-Jihad groups, and received jail sentences in mid-2008.
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