VZCZCXYZ0001
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKB #1497/01 3511341
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171341Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 4468

UNCLAS BAKU 001497 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC EFIN KCRM KPAO PTER KHLS AEMR AJ KAPO
SUBJECT: AZERBAIJAN: 2007 COUNTRY REPORT ON TERRORISM 
 
REF: STATE 175925 
 
¶1.  Summary: Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United 
States on counterterrorism predates the September 11, 2001 
attacks and the first waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM 
Support Act in January 2002.  Over the past five years, the 
GOAJ has continued to step up its efforts to combat terrorist 
financing, and has aggressively apprehended and tried members 
of suspected terrorist groups.  It has rendered numerous 
terrorists and persons suspected of having ties to 
terrorists.  It has also closed organizations operating in 
Azerbaijan, which were suspected of supporting terrorist 
groups.  In 2007, Azerbaijan arrested three separate 
terrorist-associated groups, at least 39 persons total, on 
terrorism-related charges.  The U.S. Embassy in Baku operated 
at limited staffing for two days in late October 2007 as a 
result of a terrorist threat from the Kamran Asadov group 
(detailed below). End Summary. 
 
¶2.  Proposed report for Azerbaijan in 2007 Patterns of Global 
Terrorism Report to Congress. 
 
Azerbaijan and the United States have a very good record of 
cooperation on counterterrorism issues that predates the 
September 11, 2001 attacks.  Azerbaijan assisted in the 
investigation of the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings and 
has cooperated with the U.S. Embassy in Baku to counter 
terrorist threats against the mission.  After the September 
11 attacks, the Government of Azerbaijan expressed 
unqualified support for the United States and offered 
"whatever means necessary" to the U.S.-led counterterrorism 
coalition.  Azerbaijan has granted blanket overflight 
clearance, engaged in information sharing and law-enforcement 
cooperation, and has approved numerous landings and refueling 
operations at its civilian airport in support of U.S. 
military operations in Afghanistan.  Azerbaijan has supported 
peacekeeping operations in Iraq since August 2003 with an 
infantry company of approximately 150 soldiers stationed at 
the Haditha dam.  A platoon of Azerbaijani soldiers has been 
working with the Turkish peacekeeping contingent in 
Afghanistan since November 2002, and President Aliyev 
announced plans to double this number to between 40 and 44 
soldiers.  Another platoon has been working with the Turkish 
peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo since 1999. 
 
Azerbaijan has also provided strong political support to the 
United States in the Global War on Terrorism.  With the 2005 
ratification of the International Convention for the 
Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, Azerbaijan has 
acceded to all 13 United Nations Conventions on Terrorism. 
It has also joined 11 European conventions on combating 
terrorism.  In 2003, the GOAJ implemented UN Security Council 
resolutions 1368, 1373 and 1377.  In May 2005, the GOAJ 
joined the Convention of the Council of Europe on terrorism 
prevention.  The government also approved changes to the 
criminal code that increased the maximum penalty for acts of 
terrorism from 15 years to life imprisonment and added a 
provision making the financing of terrorist activities a 
crime under Azerbaijani law. 
 
While Azerbaijan has served as a route for international 
mujahedin with ties to terrorist organizations seeking to 
move people, money, and material through the Caucasus, 
Azerbaijan has stepped up its efforts and has had some 
success in reducing their presence and hampering their 
activities.  Azerbaijan has taken steps to combat terrorist 
financing and identify possible terrorist-related funding by 
distributing lists of suspected terrorist groups and 
individuals to local banks.  In May 2003, the GOAJ 
established an inter-ministerial experts group responsible 
for drafting anti-money laundering and counterterrorist 
finance legislation.  In December 2006, the experts group, 
through the President's office, provided its most recent 
draft to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Council of 
Europe; the Department of Justice provided comments on the 
law and discussed it with GOAJ officials.  The Government of 
Azerbaijan has not yet presented the draft law to parliament, 
nor has it taken steps to create a Financial Intelligence 
Unit.  In anticipation of future adoption of this law, the 
U.S. Government has continued to train prosecutors, 
investigators and judges on implementing anti-money 
laundering and anti-terrorist financing law enforcement 
techniques. 
 
In February 2007, Azerbaijani authorities arrested a group of 
15 Azerbaijani citizens in Baku who called themselves the 
"Northern Mahdi Army."  The group was charged with having 
ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). 
The group went to closed trial in October on charges of 
cooperation with a foreign intelligence service, high 
treason, possession of illegal weapons and robbery. 
According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of National Security 
(MNS), the group was organized to establish a state ruled by 
Shari'a (Islamic) law.  According to published reports, the 
MNS said that one of the group members had met an IRGC 
officer in Qom, Iran, and was offered money to fight against 
the United States, Israel and other Western countries. 
According to published reports, the group received training 
in Iran and Azerbaijan. 
 
During security sweeps in late October and early November a 
group of twelve Azerbaijanis, who were reportedly led by an 
ethnic Arab named Abu Jafar were arrested in Sumgayit, 
Azerbaijan, on terrorism-related charges.  The MNS publicly 
said that members of the group came to Azerbaijan from 
various conflict zones and grouped around Abu Jafar.  In the 
security operations, a large quantity of arms and ammunition, 
a map of Sumgayit, and other equipment was confiscated from 
members of the group.  Criminal cases are pending. 
 
Separately, in November 2007, 11 Azerbaijani citizens were 
arrested over a number of days throughout Azerbaijan in 
connection with a late October 2007 threat against the U.S. 
Embassy in Baku which resulted in the embassy working at 
limited staffing for two days.  The group consisted of 
Azerbaijani citizens led by a renegade radicalized 
Azerbaijani army officer, Kamran Asadov, who went AWOL from 
his unit with four assault rifles, a machine gun, 20 grenades 
and a large amount of cartridges on 24 October.  The group 
carried out an attack on a LUKoil gas station in Baku on 
October 30, likely to fund their operations.  According to 
press reports, members of the groups told the MNS that they 
planned to attack the U.S. embassy.  All the weapons and at 
large members of the group have been seized and criminal 
charges are pending. 
 
There is no evidence in 2007 that terrorists find safe haven 
in Azerbaijan or that there is any terrorist group operating 
in Azerbaijan which meets the guidelines as defined for this 
report. 
 
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