Russia better ready as Chechen rebels threaten country with terror attacks
By Joseph L. Giacalone / joe@theklaxon.com / 02.17.2010
Updated on: 02.16.10 at 9:48 pm
Mikhail Evstafiev photo
The month before the U.S.S.R. dissolved, Chechen separatists took the opportunity to declare it independent of Russia—something it has been trying to do since the 1700s. This action led to two separate bloody invasions by the Russian army and several skirmishes.
Now, it seems that Chechen rebels have been re-invigorated by Islamic movements in Africa and the Middle East. Russian Federation troops have been cracking down on Islamists in Chechnya over the past few days, leaving a trail of bodies and mayhem in the Northern Caucus region. The Chechens, essentially, are to Russia, what al-Qaeda is to the United States—a threatening terrorist group that we don’t have on our doorstep.
The crackdown has caused a reaction and a threat to bring the fight back to Moscow from the leader of the Islamic rebels, Doku Umarov. History has shown that the rebels are not shy about the targets they choose, whether it was the mass murder of children in Beslan (9/1/2004), the mass bombings of residential buildings in Moscow (9/1999) or the taking of hostages in a theater (10/23/2002), they already have proven that they are deadly.
However, besides a few recent train bombings in St. Petersburg, Russia, the rebels have yet to strike at Mother Russia—a sign that may provide a clue as to their current capabilities.
The rebels have also used a secret weapon against the Russians in the past: The “Black Widows.”
Black Widows are females whose husbands or relatives have been killed in the decade war with Russia and are used as suicide bombers. In 2004, two Black Widows were successful in gaining access through airport security—strapped with bombs—and took down two commercial jets nearly simultaneously.
The Chechens aren’t the only terrorist organization to use women in suicide attacks, but they have been the most successful incorporating them. This is partly because women tend to avoid scrutiny through security checkpoints, which makes them the perfect stealth weapon.
What the counterterrorism community needs to do is connect the dots and concern itself with the situation at the moment with the loose affiliation between the Chechen rebels, al-Shabaab in Somalia and additional terror groups in Yemen.
In a terrorist’s version of a “shout out,” the leader of al-Shabaab, Sheik Muqtar Robow, during an interview with The Associated Press, said he wanted to unite with their “brothers” in Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya.
Russia will confront the renewed threat from Chechnya the same way as it always has—with brutal force—and the Chechens will continue to be a thorn in the Kremlin’s side. One thing that’s for certain, though, is the Kremlin won’t worry about what the media says when they start their offensive.
[Editor's note: This photograph is used under the GNU Free Documentation License and the photographer in no way endorses The Klaxon or the writer's views.]
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