Residents of Nardaran, near Baku, protest after a deadly skirmish with police (Source: Famil Mahmudbayli / RFE/RL)
BAKU (RFE/RL)—Azerbaijan’s government-linked Shi’ite Muslim leader has suggested that Armenia was behind violence in a traditional Shi’ite stronghold near Baku, which left two police officers and five alleged Islamists dead last week.
Azerbaijani interior troops and other police units raided the village of Nardaran on Tuesday in a sweeping security operation which they said is aimed at “protecting citizens’ legal rights and freedomsâ€
