Al Qaeda militant killed in Kurram was Azerbaijani

An al-Qaeda-linked militant killed in Kurram Agency earlier this week has been identified as an Azerbaijani national, according to a Dawn News report on Saturday. The militant, identified as Aslanov Zaur, was among the six foreign militants who were killed during clashes with security forces in the Jogi area of Central Kurram Agency on February 1. A passport, documents and photographs recovered by security forces revealed that Zaur was a key commander and played an instrumental role in attacks on Pakistani security forces in the tribal areas. The passport (passport number 3503893), issued from the Azerbaijani capital Bakku in February 2009, shows Zaur belonged to the city of Sumaqyit, located at a distance of 31 kilometers from the capital and was born on September 25, 1981. According to the document, he was issued an Iranian visa by the Iranian embassy in Bakku for three months from March 2, 2009 to May 31, 2009. The travel documents also reveal that he had entered the city of Astar, the capital of Gilan province of Iran on March 26, 2009 (evident from the entry stamp), and since then had gone underground. He is suspected to have entered Afghanistan and then Pakistan through unfrequented routes.

Security forces also recovered USBs, card readers and other devices from the pockets of the militant, besides Sudanese
currency, American dollars and Pakistani currency notes.