Basayev video commemorates his death

Two Islamist websites have posted a video commemorating the life and death of Chechen al Qaeda commander Shamil Basayev (AKA Abdallah Shamil Abu-Idris), who was killed by Russian security forces on July 10, 2006. Counterrorism Blog expert Daveed Gartenstein-Ross examines The Death of Shamil Basayev and How Jihadists Are Made and Lorenzo Vidino looks at How Chechnya Became a Breeding Ground for Terror.

I strongly suggest watching the video after viewing the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point’s Islamic Imagery Project to understand the symbolism behind various scenes in the video (the moom as a sign of purity, the afterlife and martyrdom; the forrest a representation of paradis.e.) This is a slickly produced As Sahab video comprising of numerous photographs as well as video of Basayev as a fighting commander, and includes shots of a Russian soldier being executed and an attack on a Russian convoy. The musical score is accompanied by voice overs, sounds of explosions, gunfire and screams.

Since Basayev’s death, the Russian government has offered the Chechen fighters amnesty to lay down their arms. Nikolai Patrushev, the chief of the Russian Federal Security, claims a large number of Chechen fighters have disarmed. Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov claims that just yesterday 13 “militants from the Doku Umarov criminal armed group” have “have announced they are ready to surrender.”

The SITE Institute reports the Abu Hafs, the military deputy of the Chechen Mujahideen Shura Council, “denies that in the wake of his [Basayev’s] death that the Mujahideen in Chechnya wish to have negotiations with Russian officials. On the contrary, he states that jihad was not affected by the loss of Basayev, and the Mujahideen will continue to strive for the withdrawal of Russia from Chechnya and to be self-governing.”

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Tags: chechnya