2024 Qusar attack

2024 Qusar attack
Part of spillover of the Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus
Date 14 September, 2024 Location Qusar District, Azerbaijan Result Inconclusive
Belligerents
Azerbaijan	Islamic State
Casualties and losses
7 security forces killed, 1 injured	1 IS militant killed

On 14 September 2024, clashes between militants and Azerbaijani security forces arose in Qusar District, northern Azerbaijan, after security forces stumbled upon a militant hideout. The clashes left 7 security personnel dead and 1 injured; an IS militant was also killed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack 5 days later, via its weekly Al-Naba newsletter, making it the group's first attack in the country.

Background

On 2 July 2019, as part of a series of videos ("And The [Best] Outcome Is For The Righteous") showing supporters and fighters of IS around the world renewing their pledge of allegiance to IS, a video was published from Azerbaijan featuring three fighters armed with Kalashnikov style rifles pledging their allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The video was formally released by IS, without explicitly referring it as a Wilayah.

4 months later, after al-Baghdadi's death on 27 October 2019, Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi received pledges of allegiance (bayah) from various provinces and regions, with photos of fighters from Azerbaijan pledging allegiance to him, on 29 November. However, they had never claimed responsibility for an attack in Azerbaijan prior to the attack.