While I also posted this in the Videos section, I felt this deserved some attention here at Threat Matrix. This Al Jazeera report certainly goes a long way toward punching a big hole in the notion that a mere sprinkling of al Qaeda operatives are working in Afghanistan. Note that for one Taliban unit fighting in Baghlan province, it is estimated that about one third are “foreign” – or al Qaeda. Also note how the Taliban commander is encouraging his fighters to accept the growing number of foreign fighters into his ranks.
Most likely the bulk of these “foreign” fighters are members of the al Qaeda-linked Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, but remember that “Chechens” (a catch-all for fighters from the Russian Caucasus region) have been spotted in units operating in the north, including in Baghlan and Nuristan. Turkish al Qaeda fighters have also made appearances in the Afghan north.
At The Long War Journal, we’ve long maintained that al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan is far greater than the “50 to 100” number that was repeated [see LWJ report, Analysis: Al Qaeda maintains an extensive network in Afghanistan for more background]. This analysis differs greatly from that of CIA Director Leon Panetta and Nation Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter.
Note: The number of cells detected in Afghanistan has increased since the last time I noted it a few weeks back. By my count, al Qaeda and allied groups have operated cells in 58 districts in 19 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. These numbers are based on ISAF press releases over the past three years. If I incorporated al Qaeda propaganda (such as As Sahab notices of suicide attacks), this number would easily grow.
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4 Comments
How about Kyrgz?
http://www.cacianalyst.org/newsite/?q=node/268
And Tajiks?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNS4x9bRAnk&feature=player_embedded
Some people have cast doubt on weather there really are all that many Chechens in the Afghan insurgency.
http://www.registan.net/index.php/2009/07/03/army-major-disputes-story-of-chechen-fighters-in-afghanistan/
I think Bill is using the term Chechens as he states: ‘a catch-all for fighters from the Russian Caucasus region’.
I have never understood why so many Islamic Militants from the Caucausus region travel all the way to Afpak regions to fight when there is an insurgency struggle going on in their own back yard i.e Chechnya, Dagestan etc.
Could it be that the Russians are more effective at killing them so they travel to the middle east?
Or is it that the middle east is the heart of Islamic Terror and they are thus drawn for those reasons?
This reminds me of the Iraq theater when foreign jihadists from everywhere came to be martyred. Now they are going to AfPak to be martyred. Like moths to a flame.
Neonmeat…
A Merc goes to where the paymaster is.
The ‘Chechens’ are famed in Russia for participation in the Soviet Mafia, massively so.
That they should drift off to the opiate zones makes their motives more commercial than jihad.
BTW, addicting kafir with heroin is definitely considered jihad. For the ummah all wars are total: no limits are ever placed upon jihad in any dimension.