Islamic State’s New Threats in Northern Azerbaijan

(Paweł Wójcik – The Jamestown Foundation) Islamic State (IS) is actively expanding into northern Azerbaijan after officially establishing a new branch there in 2024. Authorities have recently thwarted multiple plots by Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) to attack diplomatic and religious targets in Baku. IS militants have directly engaged Azerbaijani security forces, notably during deadly clashes in the Qusar forests. The group leveraged these encounters to achieve propaganda successes despite strict government information bans. Azerbaijani extremist cells are integrated into a broader jihadist network managed by IS from Syria and Afghanistan, which signifies a continuously evolving and growing terrorist threat throughout the South Caucasus. – Islamic State’s New Threats in Northern Azerbaijan  – Jamestown