printChechnya is a Shari’a-law dominated anarchy, whose chief export is terrorism—to Russian cities. Americans became familiar with the handiwork of Chechen terrorists in 2002, during a deadly hostage-taking at Moscow’s Dubrovka Theater. And in 2004, with the attack on a school in Beslan in which hundreds of children were murdered. And again today (Jan. 24), presumably, with an attack at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport. This via Russian TV (on which I was fortunate to appear last week: http://barelyablog.com/?p=33595):
“35 people have been killed … according to the airport spokesperson. Up to 168 are said to have been injured in what the Investigative Committee believes to be a terror attack. Eighty-six people have been taken to nearby hospitals, 46 of them are reported to be in critical condition. Some reports say there are foreign citizens among the victims, including those from the UK, Italy, France, Serbia and Slovakia. … Three men who have been living in the Russian capital for a certain period of time reportedly took part in organizing the blast, a source told Interfax news agency. He also noted that these three were believed to be Russian North Caucasus militants and might have been somehow connected to two women, one of whom blew herself up at a practice range club in Moscow on December 31 and the other was later arrested in the city of Volgograd.”
Chechnya’s transformation into an Islamist terrorist training ground is near complete. Besides a thriving trade in weapons, drugs, stolen goods, and slaves, Chechnya has no economy. Due process and punishment take the form of court-ordered mutilations and public hangings.
Someone can also ask Hu Jintao what he thinks of Islamic militants in “East Turkmenistan.”
It is too bad. Russia has always been of some interest to me. (Perhaps, it was the snow-covered scenery typically displayed on television when I a child.)
I recall being told that the Soviet Union was not the existential threat, that American agitprop portrayed it as during the abomination that was the Reagan Administration. However, Russian North Caucasus militants should be the least of their worries given that the Russian population continues to plummet.
Americans became familiar with the handiwork of Chechen terrorists in 2002, during a deadly hostage-taking at Moscow’s Dubrovka Theater.
And the Chechens became familiar with Russian aggression several centuries ago, most recently in the final days of 1994 when they declared independence and Russia, not wanting to lose hold of its empire, invaded their country. In that war, the Chechens showed us how a disarmed population with almost no military experience could defeat one of the largest professional armies in the world. If only they were Christians.
Mass bombings are to be condemned, and that goes for everyone. But not all jihads are created equal, and if any operation lends credence to the “violence makes more terrorists” meme, Russia’s deeds in Chechnya provide a perfect case study. Chechnya was not a fundamentalist Moslem country in 1994.
Shamil Basaev lost twelve family members to Russian bombers. If it had been you, what would your response be?
Ilana, your description of Chechnya sounds more like Kosovo…
We should recall that from 1996 to 1999, Chechnya was de facto independent and run by the jihadists. Did that end terrorism? No – they expanded it into the neighboring Dagestan. And then into the rest of Russia (unless one believes the claim the apartment bombings were a false flag op). This was why the first Putin government went back there in 1999.
BRESLAN…not an accident…not combat between warring nations and men, i.e. military men with some honor, but BESTIALITY. Follow the Link…
http://www.newsrealblog.com/2010/09/05/the-beslan-massacre/
I recommend having a strong drink and lots of Kleenex available while researching this abomination by those who created a living hell for those innocent children.
All need be vigilant lest history repeats.