Expert: Radical Islam to Long Remain Headache in Caucasus

Baku / 12.09.18 / Turan: Attacks on the towers of the Shopping Center in New York on September 11, 2001 were the most monstrous terrorist attacks in the history of mankind. They contained more elements of war than terror. This was said by the head of the Azerbaijani Center for Security Studies, former intelligence officer Ilham Ismail in an interview with the Azerbaijani service of the Voice of America in connection with the anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

As a result of this terrorist attack, the United States lost about 3 trillion dollars. This was followed by military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, which were invaded by the US Armed Forces.

The political situation in the world has changed and Azerbaijan sent a group of its military to Afghanistan. Through the airspace of Azerbaijan, a corridor to Afghanistan has been opened. These processes have shown that terror turns into a factor replacing the war.

If earlier in world wars, states directly fought other countries, then after the creation of nuclear weapons, relations are clarified through terror. Military operations under the cover of the fight against terrorism in Syria have already led to a clash of major centers of power, Ismail believes.

What are the consequences of these clashes on the Caucasus and the Caspian region? Answering this question, Ismail said the interests of the US and Russia, as well as of the countries of the region, collided in Syria. All this has an impact on Azerbaijan.

"Turkey, Iran and Russia are our neighbors. In Syria, a significant role is played by the Islamic State (ISIS), which includes citizens of Azerbaijan. Some of them returned, and each of them is a potential terrorist, although they are all under control," Ismail said.

The current processes in Syria are again developing in a crisis scenario because of the situation around Idlib. Moscow and Tehran do not give up support for the Assad government and do not take into account Turkey's position, which believes that the military operation will lead to a new large-scale humanitarian catastrophe. The aggravation in Syria will also affect the Caspian region, from where the Russian Federation has already launched missile strikes against Syria.

In the North Caucasus, there have always been radical believers. The natives of the North Caucasus occupied second place in the ISIS after the Arabs. Therefore, after the defeat in Syria, there is a threat of their return to the North Caucasus and through Azerbaijan.

The radical Wahhabis also operate in the north of Azerbaijan and they will be a headache for a long time.

"I believe that the internal and foreign policy of Azerbaijan should be considered, balanced and correct. If a large-scale terrorist event takes place in the region, it will have serious consequences for Azerbaijan," the expert concluded. -03D06-