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Map of Chechnya and the Caucasus. Click to view. |
A Caucasus Emirate suicide bomber killed 16 people and wounded 98 more in an attack in the southern city of Vladikavkaz in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia today.
The suicide bomber, who has been identified by Russian police as Archiyev, detonated his car in the center of a market in the southern city just after 11:00 a.m. local time. Police said that between 30 to 40 kilograms of TNT were used in the car bomb, RIA Novosti reported.
Russian authorities expect the casualties to mount. Eight people, including two children, are said to be in critical condition, ITAR-TASS reported.
The suicide bombing in Vladikavkaz is the latest in a series of attacks by the al Qaeda-linked Caucasus Emirate in the southern Russian republics. This year, Caucasus Emirate suicide bombers and assault teams have struck at targets in Chechnya, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Stavropol, and Kabardino-Balkariya, and have even struck in Moscow.
The latest attack, on Aug. 29, took place in the village of Tsentoroi, the birthplace of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, in Chechnya. A unit from the Caucasus Emirate, estimated at between 12 to 60 men strong, raided the village but were repelled by police . During the raid, 12 terrorists and five policemen were killed.
The Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyr Brigade, the specially trained suicide teams of the Caucasus Emirate, have carried out the suicide attacks in Russia. Doku Umarov, the leader of the Caucasus Emirate, reconstituted the Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyr Brigade in April 2009 to carry out attacks across Russia.
The Caucasus Emirate’s most recent high-profile suicide operations include: the double suicide attack in Moscow’s Metro on March 29 (39 people killed); a double suicide attack that targeted police in the city of Kizlyar in Dagestan on March 31 (13 people killed); and a suicide attack at a concert in Stavropol on May 26 (seven killed). Also, a suicide bomber nearly killed Ingush President Yunus Bek Yevkurov in an attack in June 2009.
Over the past year, Russian security forces have been hunting the Caucasus Emirate’s top leaders and have had some success. Among those killed are Amir Sayfullah, the commander of forces in Dagestan and a top sharia official; Said Buryatsky, the mufti, or religious leader, for the Caucasus Emirate, who has been described as Russia’s Osama bin Laden; Yasir Amarat, a wanted terrorist commander from Jordan; and Mokhmad Mohamad Shabban, an Egyptian who was one of the founders of al Qaeda in the Caucasus. Security forces also captured Emir Magas, the military commander of the Caucasus Emirate. [For more information on counterterrorism operations in the Caucasus and Russia’s battle with the Caucasus Emirate, see LWJ report, Russians kill top Caucasus Emirate leader.]
Sources:
• Medvedev vows to destroy Vladikavkaz bombing masterminds (Update 4), RIA Novosti
• At least 15 killed, 87 injured in Vladikavkaz bomb attack (Update 3), RIA Novosti
• Death toll from Vladikavkaz blast climbs to 15, ITAR-TASS
• Police defeat Caucasus Emirate assault on Chechen president’s hometown, The Long War Journal
• Caucasus jihad: Terror tactics back on the horizon?, The Long War Journal
• Russians kill top Caucasus Emirate leader, The Long War Journal
• Russian police kill al Qaeda’s co-founder in the Caucasus, The Long War Journal
• Said Buryatsky Reported to be Among Six Militants Killed in Ingushetia, Georgian Daily
• Russians capture, kill 2 top Caucasus Emirate commanders, The Long War Journal
5 Comments
With these groups probably being supported by Al Queada it amazes me that Russia is still doing business with Iran which is providing training and dollars to these terrorist groups.
The Russian people should be outraged.
One is not equal to another. Iran doesn’t deal with Sunni extremists (due to mutual hatred) unless there is a common enemy (and even then, its not nearly to the same level as they deal with Hezbollah and Hamas). Iran needs the Russians and so it is not in their interest to assist these groups. You’d more likely find the culprit to be a Georgian than an Iranian, though I’m not saying its Georgia either.
Based on reportage from now dead Moscow journalists the hand of Putin reaches far.
VERY recently the head of the GRU floated up on the beach. Apparently he ran afoul of Putin & Co WRT the Beslan tragedy. He contended, publicly, that Putin fired into the school with RPGs to set off he lethal firestorm that killed just about everybody.
Putin gains immense political power every time these symbolic pin-prick assaults occur.
The Moscow reporters contended that the FSB was behind the horrific destruction of two significant Moscow apartment blocks. It was this outrage that re-launched the Chechen campaign which put Putin & Co in the driver’s seat.
Further, the Soviet Mafia is chock full of Chechens. It ALWAYS has been. Chechens are to Moscow what Sicilians are to New York City only more so.
One ought to read The Soviet Mafia by Vaksberg.
ISBN 0-312-07135-3
BTW, Putin is a Petersburg boy. That wing of the Soviet Mafia is famed for heroin trafficking into Europe.
So, now we’re told that Putin wants to get back into Afghanistan WRT stopping the opiates traffic!!!!
The level of intrigue and false-flag operations used by the Chechens is legendary.
The recent false-flag, uniformed, assaults in Afghanistan bear the mark of Chechen logic.
Rather like the evil Frank in ‘Once Upon A Time In The West” false evidence is a Chechen basic.
The fact that Chechens are in the most literal sense Caucasians — and White to boot — makes it possible for them to pass as White Russians/Americans while holding entirely to Islam and fanatic clan loyalty.
Pakistan, guys, Pakistan! There are no points here to guess who send terrorists all over the world. Why does the world always miss the elephant in the room?
Russia is busy appeasing Pakistan with economic and military aid. THIS WILL NOT WORK!! Why won’t the world come togther to crush this monster is something I will never understand. Every country affected by Pakistan exported terror is busy making individual deals and appeasement (no surprise that these tactics do’t work) and Pakistan gets further emboldened.
Does no one remember Hitler? Appeasement and individual deals failed to make peace….it only emboldened him further. Its only when the world got together to CRUSH him that he was defeated and Germany was De-Nazified. And please don’t lets give excuses of Nuclear Weapons…even Hitler had missiles and weapons of mass destruction, but that did not deter the world in confronting him with all out war…
And Pakistan is no ally…65% of the country hates the west. Its leaders are impotent and scheming and corrupt. Its army ISI is two faced and actually helps KILL NATO soldiers…
Think-people-think!
I pray for the day when there will be peace all over the world. It breaks my heart to here about all these suicide bombers.