"AL QAEDA" & CHECHEN TERRORISTS HELPED AZERBAI

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Thousands of soldiers of "Al Qaeda" terrorist organization lead by top terrorist Usam Bin Laden underwent baptism of fire during the fight for Nagorno Artsax on the side of Azerbaijan. As Moscow "Nezavisimaya gazeta" newspaper states reffering the "Washington ProFile" agency, "Al Qaeda" has started its activities in the former USSR territory since late 80 establishing headquarters in Baku and assisting Azeris in the war against Christian Armenia for the control over Nagorno-Artsax. 1993 September, 1.5 thousand Afghan soldiers arrived in Azerbaijan. 1994 summer, the number of soldiers in Azerbaijan was 2.5 thousand. After its heavy casulties in the battles against Armenians, the "Afghan unit" was disbanded in 1994 but many of its soldiers participated in other regional conflicts later. Chechens also cooperated with former USSR Muslims, in particualar with Azeris. They got missiles not only for them but also for Azeri "colleagues" and that was real help to the latter at the seizure of the city of Hordiz situated to the southeast of Stepanakert.