YEREVAN (Yerkir)–According to newspaper "Gulf News," the Great East Islamic Raiders Front (IBDA-C)–blamed for a number of terrorist acts in Turkey–recruited mercenaries to fight against Armenia’s in Mountainous Karabagh Republic.
Mediamax reports that the organization also sent mercenaries to fight in Chechnya–as well as Tajikistan.
Turkey’s Justice Minister Cemil iek recently revealed there were Chechens involved in the Istanbul bombings. He told the Turkish Milliyet newspaper that the terrorists have received considerable assistance from foreign forces.
According to Azerbaijani online Day.az–IBDA-C’s leadership even cooperated with Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry until recently; they also confirmed that representatives of the organization fought in MKR–and organized terrorist acts against Armenia’s during the war.
The organization was founded 18 years ago by individuals from mainly the Bingol region of Turkey. In 1993–IBDA-C openly adopted a terrorist strategy–and targeted Christians and Jews in a wave of bombings of religious centers and places of entertainment.
Speculation also points to the organization in the bombing of the Armenian churches of St. Grigor the Illuminator and St. Astvatsatsin in Istanbul.
After their defeat in MKR–however–the organization reportedly retreated to Turkey.
"Had the Karabagh people destroyed the enemy instead of repulsing them out of Armenian lands–thousands of English–Armenian–Jewish–and Turkish families would not have been mourning today," the Day.az states.
