Backgrounder on The Islamic State and Jihadism in Azerbaijan

The Islamic State's first claimed attack in Azerbaijan re-emphasizes a country that has a history of jihadism that goes back to the 1990s Chechen wars

On September 19th, the Islamic State (IS) announced its first operation in Azerbaijan, where it claimed that its fighters clashed with Azeri forces, killing seven and injuring the others, in the Qusar area of Azerbaijan. According to IS, one of its fighters was killed. IS claims that clashes broke out after Azeri police approached the group's base in the Qusar area with reinforcements. According to Harold Chambers’ tweet thread, this incident likely took place on September 4th, but the information surrounding it only dripped out over a two week period.

Islamic State fighters who clashed with Azerbaijani forces in the Qusar region of northern Azerbaijan

While this incident might appear to have come out of nowhere, there have been past indications of Islamic State activity and jihadi cells in Azerbaijan that go back 30 years.