Asia

Asia

Azerbaijani fighting in the ranks of the opposition in Syria: â€œThis is my first time to embark on a Jihadâ€

14 January 2013 12:14 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Malahat Najafova – APA. “Reuters” news agency made an interview with foreign militants who fought within the Free Syrian Army. One such is Abu al-Harith, a stocky, fair, 27-year-old from Azerbaijan who spoke at a rebel base in Karm al-Jabal, a district so damaged it seems to have suffered an earthquake: “This is my first time to embark on a Jihad because ... there was no one worse than Bashar. Even Stalin was merciful compared with him," said the young man, who wore a ski mask and had a black badge bearing an Islamic religious slogan sewn onto his green fatigues.”

Huddled around a fire in a bombed-out building in Aleppo, foreign jihadists say they are fighting for a radical Islamic state in Syria - whether local rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad like it or not.

Note that Turkish fighter also spoke to “Reuters”.