Azeri politician accuses Russian special forces of the explosion in Abu Bekir mosqueSeptember 3, 2008 - 17:41 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Leader of Humanist Party of Azerbaijan Oqtay Atakhan accused Russian special forces of the explosion in Abu Bekir mosque."When interviewed immediately after the explosion, I said that it is likely to be prepared by Russian special forces. And today when the official bodies of the country put the responsibility on "Forest Brothers", I got added evidence that I was right," he said. This terrorist act has nothing to do with religion, according to him. "It is now possible to state that terror acts were committed by Russian special services to further encourage separatist movements inside the country, but this time under the flag of Islam, destabilize the country on the threshold of the presidential election, again remind of the fundamentalist Iran and initiate attack by the United States," he said, Day.az reports. The August 17 explosion in Abu Bekir mosque killed 2 and injured 11. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |