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Thread: Terrorism in Russia (merged thread)

  1. #41
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    Default Dagestan

    Dagestan has also been subject to twin bombings two days after Moscow (is there something about the No.2 I am missing here? Or is it pure coincidence?) It appears from initial reports that the perpetrators had similar targetting priorities to the Moscow group with Interiro Ministry and FSB facilities being targetted (could also have been a school). Perpetrators also enacted deception and security measures (apparently) by impersonating police/militsia officers. It is more likely the second bomber was ordered to cause as much havoc and destruction at whatever target the first managed to attack which see here:

    Explosion In Dagestan Causes Casualties

    also

    Putin's anti-terror policies as President are under fire following Moscow Metro bombings

    meanwhile

    Families mourn for 39 victims of blast
    Last edited by Tukhachevskii; 03-31-2010 at 09:58 AM.

  2. #42
    Council Member bourbon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tukhachevskii View Post
    Perpetrators also enacted deception and security measures (apparently) by impersonating police/militsia officers.
    They frequently do this. One particularly ugly example was during the 2004 raid on Nazran in Ingushetia which killed around 100 law enforcement officers (they mostly spared the traffic police). They set up a roadblock dressed as local law enforcement and checked motorists documents; any responding law enforcement officers were executed.

    Local police in Dagestan are thoroughly penetrated by the rebels, and corruption is rife. The bomber may well have even been an actual policeman.

  3. #43
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    Default UK expert on Chechneya weighs in

    Thanks to Raf at FreeRadicals Dr Cerwyn Moore has written a short commentary on the Moscow bombings: http://icsr.info/blog/Dr-Cerwyn-Moor...oscow-Bombings

    He concludes:
    The recent attacks in Moscow clearly result from recent federal successes in the low-intensity conflict which has beset the region since 2007. Whilst federal authorities have repeatedly claimed major successes, indicating that the insurgency was all but defeated, wide-scale poverty in the region, corruption and hard-line policies by Kremlin – repeated in recent days in statements by Vladimir Putin (which are, incidentally, eerily reminiscent of statements he made prior to the outbreak of the second Russo-Chechen War) - appointed strongmen, and apparatchiks have helped to radicalise a generation of new fighters willing to undertake ‘smertniki’ operations or suicide attacks.
    davidbfpo

  4. #44
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    Seeing this in the news...

    Addressing Russians' fears of a new wave of terror attacks, President Dmitry Medvedev made a surprise visit to Dagestan, where suicide bombers killed 12 Wednesday, and called for "crueler" measures against terrorists...

    "We have torn off the heads of the most odious bandits, but clearly this was not enough," he said. Calling for expanding the range of measures against terror, he said, "They need to be not just more effective, but harsher, crueler."
    http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...J_WSJ_US_World

    Doesn't exactly sound like American COIN theory... I have to wonder if the translations are accurate, and how it translates to tactics on the ground, and what the consequences will be...

  5. #45
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    Default Doku Umarov...

    Doku Umarov...has claimed responsibility for the Moscow attacks (intriguingly the piece makes no direct mention of him claiming responsibility for the attacks in Dagestan). If his group was behind it it could be intended as a message following the assasination of Said Buryatsky earlier last month. Althout it is more likely that Umarov merely whiches to re-assert/assert his authority over the traditionally independant minded jamaats. Given that his authority may have diminished for lack of activity (or the perception of activity) the jamaats may have spun out of his (nominal) control and upped the ante off their own bat.

    On a related note the Russian armed forces have revived the concept of armoured trains in an effort to stem growing attacks on the railways infrastructure in the Chechnya region;

    A review of recent attacks on railway infrastructure gives some sense of the growing problem:

    • One person was killed in an explosion on railroad tracks near the Dagestani capital of Makhachkala on February 10. The bomb appears to have gone off prematurely, narrowly missing an incoming freight train carrying 20 tankers full of jet fuel .

    • Militants fired two shots from a grenade launcher at militia quarters in the railway station at Nazran (Ingushetia) on February 2 (Chechenpress, February 2).

    • Federal Security Service (FSB) forces in Dagestan announced the killing of a veteran Egyptian jihadist who had targeted railway infrastructure in the North Caucasus. Mahmud Muhammad Shaaban was killed in a shootout on February 2 (RIA Novosti, February 3).

    • A cargo train including oil tankers was derailed by an explosion in Nazran on January 4 (Caucasian Knot, January 4).

    • On November 30, 2009, a bomb went off under the Tyumen-Baku train in Dagestan, damaging the locomotive (The Moscow Times, December 1, 2009; ITAR-TASS, November 30, 2009).

    • The Nevsky Express running between Moscow and St. Petersburg was derailed by a reported explosion on November 27. The FSB estimated seven kilograms of explosives were used (RIA Novosti, November 28). Though the Caucasus mujahideen claimed the explosion was carried out under the orders of their amir Dokka Umarov, elements of the police and many observers questioned the ability of the rebels to conduct such an operation. The mujahideen’s message included threats to carry out further attacks on rail lines and other Russian infrastructure.

    • An explosion damaged the rail line between Makhachkala and Baku and set fire to a locomotive on November 26, 2009 (ITAR-TASS, November 26).

    • A landmine blew up a section of rail in Makhachkala as a locomotive passed over on October 25 (Interfax, October 25).

    • A section of the Baku-Rostov rail line near Makhachkala was destroyed by a bomb blast on October 12.

    • A sapper was killed by an explosion on the rail line south of Makhachkala on July 2. The bombing occurred as a repair crew arrived to fix track destroyed earlier that day in another explosion (RIA Novosti, July 2, 2009).
    Last edited by Tukhachevskii; 04-02-2010 at 02:46 PM. Reason: deleted kavkaz centre link; sorry I didn't catch it before

  6. #46
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    Default Meanwhile in Dagestan...

    ...Medvedev makes a surprise visit;
    We must deal sharp dagger blows to the terrorists; destroy them and their lairs," Mr Medvedev said. "The list of measures to fight terrorism must be widened. They must not only be effective but tough, severe and preventative. We need to punish".
    While Dagestan’s president, Magomedsalam Magomedov, sends mixed messages.

    “[There was] a chance for terrorists to return to a peaceful life, but they have not taken it,” Magomedov said. “We will continue eliminating them until we eradicate them all. However, this does not mean that we will only use methods of force,” Magomedov added.
    And...in Chechnya the internal situation slides further into the centre-periphery/patron-client dolldrums with the Chechen parliament criticising Medvedev's man, Aleksandr Khloponin, who was appointed Plenipotentiary Representative to the North Caucasus if only because...
    it would have been both a fitting moral gesture and one of "political literacy" if Khloponin had acknowledged the devastation inflicted on Chechnya by making it the first of the North Caucasus republics he visited in his new official capacity. In fact his first visit was to North Ossetia.
    ...but also because...
    rumors that have been circulating in Grozny for some weeks. Those rumors predict the imminent appointment to Khloponin's staff of two highly controversial figures: former Grozny Mayor Bislan Gantamirov and Interior Ministry Colonel Akhmed Khasambekov.
    Last edited by Tukhachevskii; 04-02-2010 at 03:01 PM. Reason: ego

  7. #47
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dayuhan View Post
    I have to wonder if the translations are accurate,
    Per the NYT:
    "The Russian word that Mr. Medvedev used for “harsher” can also be translated as “crueler” or “severer,” and varying translations were published during the course of Thursday by English-language news media."
    Quote Originally Posted by Dayuhan View Post
    and how it translates to tactics on the ground, and what the consequences will be...
    "Rape, murder! It's just a shot away. It's just a shot away"
    - Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones

  8. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tukhachevskii View Post
    Doku Umarov...has claimed responsibility for the Moscow attacks (intriguingly the piece makes no direct mention of him claiming responsibility for the attacks in Dagestan). If his group was behind it it could be intended as a message following the assasination of Said Buryatsky earlier last month.
    Umarov stated the metro attacks were in retaliation for an incident on February 11 where civilians gathering wild garlic were killed or executed by members of the FSB; the bodies were also reportedly mutilated and showed signs of torture.

  9. #49
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    Default Whose hand was behind the bombings?

    A political context commentary:
    The attacks, carried out by two female suicide bombers with apparent ties to radical Muslim groups, have highlighted the danger of the Islamist extremism that is a common threat for Russia and the West today but they have also been a troubling reminder of the threat Russians face from their own government.
    Link:http://www.realclearpolitics.com/art...gs_105081.html
    davidbfpo

  10. #50
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    State Department to leave Chechen rebel group off terror list, by Josh Rogin. ForeignPolicy.com: The Cable, April 29, 2010.
    The State Department's update of its annual list of official terrorist groups is imminent, but the group that just attacked Moscow won't be on the list.

    The Caucasus Emirate, which has been waging a jihad against the Russian government, is led by Doku Umarov, who calls himself the "emir of the North Caucasus." He was previously President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, but dissolved that Republic and established the Emirate in its place in 2007 in order to impose sharia law in his territory.

    Umarov declared all the way back in 2007 that his group was expanding its struggle to wage war against the United States, Great Britain, and Israel. Last month, he released a video claiming credit for the suicide attacks in Moscow in March that resulted in the deaths of 39 people.

  11. #51
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    NDC, 10 Jun 10: The Moscow Metro Bombings and Terrorism in Russia
    The terrorist attacks in Moscow on 29 March that killed 40 and injured over 100, and the subsequent attacks in Dagestan and Ingushetia highlight a serious problem in Russia. The Russian authorities, led by President Medvedev, quickly responded by promising the swift pursuit and destruction of the terrorists, the review and improvement of anti-terrorism procedures and enhancement of social and economic measures to address the causes of terrorism in the North Caucasus. Two criminal cases were opened with the charges of terrorism, and an operational and investigation group established, initially comprised of 30 people drawn from the Investigative Committee of the General Procurators Office (SK) and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Moscow also linked the attacks to the international context, noting both the international training and preparation of the terrorists and thus the need for international cooperation to address the issue......

  12. #52
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    Default The Black Widows of Dagestan: Media Hype and Genuine Harm

    A curious article:
    On April 9 2010, after explosions in the Moscow metro killed 39 people, rumours were circulated of 1,000 ‘black widows’ who had been recruited by the militants. When the press published the names of 22, Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch found that she knew some of these dangerous women : a seamstress whose real crime was being a human rights worker, a pious young mother whose husband had been tortured in the ‘6th Department’.
    Link:http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russ...d-genuine-harm
    davidbfpo

  13. #53
    Council Member bourbon's Avatar
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    Default Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it.

    Quote Originally Posted by bourbon View Post
    State Department to leave Chechen rebel group off terror list, by Josh Rogin. ForeignPolicy.com: The Cable, April 29, 2010.
    U.S. Designates Chechen Militant Umarov As A 'Terrorist', RFE/RL, 24 June 2010.
    The United States has designated Russia's most-wanted militant leader as a terrorist.

    The State Department on June 23 said the listing, approved by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, would block the assets of Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov and sanction individuals or companies doing business with him.

    The announcement -- seen as another sign of improving ties between Washington and Moscow – comes ahead of talks between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, in Washington today.
    Bargaining chip?

  14. #54
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    Default Moscow bombing: Carnage at Russia's Domodedovo airport 24.01

    24 January 2011 Last updated at 17:06 GMT

    Moscow bombing: Carnage at Russia's Domodedovo airport


    Moscow's Domodedovo airport has been rocked by a bomb explosion that an airport spokesman says has killed 35 people.

    More than 100 people were injured - 20 of them critically - by the blast, which reports suggest was the work of a suicide bomber.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12268662

  15. #55
    Council Member Stan's Avatar
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    Default sympathetic or just pathetic

    Quote Originally Posted by kaur View Post
    24 January 2011 Last updated at 17:06 GMT

    Moscow bombing: Carnage at Russia's Domodedovo airport


    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12268662
    Hey Kaur,
    We just finished clearing up the Tallinn airport following a bomb threat this evening. One wonders however, if some sort of sick solidarity now exists in Estonia. At least our pathetic threat mongers fortunately remain with little more than empty words and worthless deeds.

    The death toll now according to ETV is at 35 and growing with a purported trail of evidence leading directly to the Northern Caucasus region.

    Stay Safe, Stan
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  16. #56
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    Default

    So: Chechnya or Dagestan?

  17. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by motorfirebox View Post
    So: Chechnya or Dagestan?
    If you mean I need to give you a SWAG, then I guess it's an ethnic Russian or Muslim national, not a Chechen, Ingushetian or Dagestian rebel.

    Too easy to bark about Chechnya when your quasi boss and PM has staked his political reputation on quelling the current rebellion in the North (again).

    It wasn't long ago that Putin accused Estonia of providing "blond and blue-eyed" female snipers to fight along side the Chechnians
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  18. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stan View Post
    Hey Kaur,
    We just finished clearing up the Tallinn airport following a bomb threat this evening. One wonders however, if some sort of sick solidarity now exists in Estonia. At least our pathetic threat mongers fortunately remain with little more than empty words and worthless deeds.
    We've nabbed our impostor and he's firmly behind bars. At least his actions were not set on sympathizing with Chechnya; he's just another fruit cake calling in bomb threats following the evening news (using his own telephone for the traced call )
    If you want to blend in, take the bus

  19. #59
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    Default Why a terrorist mastermind is sending chills down spines

    Opens with:
    a photograph of the man suspected of masterminding the deadliest attack on an airport anywhere in the world has nonetheless shocked the nation.

    Staring out from the front pages of their newspapers this weekend is not the usual dark-skinned, heavily-bearded Islamist terrorist they have come to expect and fear but an ethnic Russian who looks like millions of Russians' brothers, sons or husbands.
    Ends:
    Sergei Arutyunov, an expert at Russia’s Academy of Sciences, said poverty was driving people to convert and that southern Russia was a fertile recruiting ground. People are frustrated and are therefore looking for alternative ideologies,” he said. “Our civilisation is in crisis.
    Link:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...wn-spines.html
    davidbfpo

  20. #60
    Council Member Stan's Avatar
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    Default Surprise, surprise

    We just had this discussion yesterday during shift changes... as if an otherwise normal person stressed out with a starving family is incapable of blowing up an airport

    Regardless of who's in charge and how ruthless the governing power is, or claims to be, individuals are far more capable than movies could ever portrait.

    Check out Slap's 5 rings (jungle rules for you Africa hands and for the rest of you, Maslow's hierarchy of needs).
    Last edited by Stan; 01-30-2011 at 05:48 PM.
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