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|---|---|
| Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية أذربيجان Azerbaijani: İslam Dövləti – Azərbaycan vilayəti | |
| Dates of operation | July 2019–Present |
| Allegiance |  Islamic State |
| Ideology | Salafi Jihadism |
| Opponents |  Azerbaijan Turkey United States Al-Qaeda |
Islamic State – Azerbaijan Province (IS-AP, Arabic: الدولة الإسلامية – ولاية أذربيجان, romanized: al-Dawlah al-Islāmīyah – Wilāyat Adharbayjān, Azerbaijani: İslam Dövləti – Azərbaycan vilayəti) is a provincial area of the Islamic State located in Azerbaijan and close regions.
History
The group was established in July 2019 after multiples members gave bay'ah to then-caliph of the Islamic State, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in a video released by the official Islamic State media. Before this, the militants operating in the jurisdiction of Azerbajian weren't called their own province (wilayah) until the official video was released by the Islamic State – Turkey Province. Supporters of the Islamic State in Azerbaijan were also supported by Boko Haram during its time in 2014 after it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State with the leader Abubakar Shekau calling them "brethren". The organization was originally associated with both the Islamic State – Caucasus Province and Islamic State – Khorasan Province where members and supporters from Azerbaijan were recruited to there. Azerbaijan Province is considered one of the main 14 distant provinces outside of the original Islamic State territorial areas of Iraq and Syria.
Four months after the death of al-Baghdadi on October 27, 2019, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi received pledges of bay'ah from various provinces and regions. Notably, on November 29, photographs emerged showing fighters from Azerbaijan publicly pledging their allegiance to him.
In late 2020, Turkish forces were brought into Azerbaijan in order to combat Islamic State militants and supporters as they did in Libya during the Libyan civil war.
On September 19, 2024, the Islamic State announced its inaugural attack in Azerbaijan through its weekly publication, Al-Naba. In the announcement, the group asserted that it had killed seven Azerbaijani security personnel and injured one during a confrontation that took place five days earlier in the Qusar district, located in northern Azerbaijan.
References
- Igualada, Carlos; Yagüe, Javier (2021). "The Use of Bay'ah by the Main Salafi-Jihadist Groups". Perspectives on Terrorism. 15 (1): 39–48. ISSN 2334-3745.
- Postings, Robert (2019-07-11). "Islamic State Turkey province video claims new wilayah in old turf". The Defense Post. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- Karmon, Ely (2015). "Islamic State and al-Qaeda Competing for Hearts & Minds". Perspectives on Terrorism. 9 (2): 71–79. ISSN 2334-3745.
- Paraszczuk, Joanna (2015-10-03). "IS's North Caucasus Affiliate Calls For Recruits To Join It In Daghestan". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- Hasbi, Ahmad Helmi bin Mohamad; Mok, Benjamin (2023). "Digital Vacuum: The Evolution of IS Central's Media Outreach in Southeast Asia". Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses. 15 (4): 1–8. ISSN 2382-6444.
- "The Islamic State's Bayat Campaign". jihadology.net. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- Micallef, Joseph V. (2020-11-06). "A Year After al-Baghdadi's Death, ISIS Is Alive -- and Growing". Military.com. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
- Adam (2024-09-19). "In First Recorded Fighting Activity in Azerbaijan, IS Reports Clash in Qusar District Inflicting 8 Casualties". SITE Enterprise. Retrieved 2025-01-09.