The North Caucasus: Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia

[kaur]

A major terrorist attack, the victims of which were four EOD guys from FSB and police, as well as deputy chief of police department Nazranovskogo area took place yesterday in Ingushetia.

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?Do...0649&NodesID=6

[kaur]

Addition to my last post.

Six policemen were killed and two injured in a bomb blast in Ingushetia on March 5. Russian news agencies, citing republican Interior Ministry sources, reported that the blast took place near the entrance to the village of Surkhakhi after law-enforcement officers discovered a roadside bomb consisting of an artillery shell and a detonator near a cemetery and bomb disposal experts were sent in. Itar-Tass reported that the device was detonated by remote control and went off as the bomb disposal experts began working to defuse it.

http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_...ash=d17d621723

[bourbon]

Ingush Authorities Blame Insurgency on Arabs and U.S. Intelligence. By Mairbek Vatchagaev. North Caucasus Weekly Volume: 10 Issue: 7, February 20, 2009.

In an interview with the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta published on February 9, Yevkurov laid the blame for the violence squarely with the “newly arrived Arabs,” stating that they were responsible for destabilizing the situation in the region in general and in Ingushetia in particular. Moreover, Yevkurov also blamed the “American and English special services.”

They are blaming Arabs, the UK and US. Not surprising, what is interesting is that they do not name Turkey - which they often do. Relations between Turkey and Russia have been strengthening lately.


Good article kaur. The physical assault on head of the Hajj Committee of Ingushetia’s Muftiate is interesting, I imagine he represents 'Official' or 'State' Islam in the eyes of the Jamaat, and as such is target of an intimidation campaign. They could have just killed him, but beatings are coercive.

I wonder if the EOD team was from local police, or from a unit in another republic doing a tour in Ingushetia. The Jamaat likes to hit the units from out of town.

[kaur]

bourbon, "Kommersant" article says that EOD people were from local FSB.

[kaur]

Snipers at work continues. Last week there was killed minister of interior affairs of Dagestan in Makhachkala . Bullet is 9mm AP. This means that weapon is Vintorez, Val or VSK-94.

This is article in Russian

http://www.gzt.ru/incident/2009/06/08/091548.html

[kaur]

A top judge has been shot dead in the latest act of violence to shake the Russian republic of Ingushetia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8093354.stm

President Medvedjev in FSB centre in Dagestan. Behind the backs of Caucasus kings are standing Ivanov (Russia's narco szar) and Patruchev (ex head of FSB).

[bourbon]

Bomber Strikes Kremlin's Chief of Restive Province, by Allan Cullison. The Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2009.

The attack on Mr. Yevkurov was more sophisticated than other recent strikes on government officials, who have been mostly lower-level functionaries with little protection. Mr. Yevkurov's motorcade was struck Monday as the Ingush president was being driven to work near the regional capital of Nazran. The bomber maneuvered an explosives-laden Toyota sedan past a police escort before detonating it near Mr. Yevkurov's armored Mercedes. The blast killed two of his bodyguards. It left Mr. Yevkurov in "serious condition" with a concussion and broken ribs, said his spokesman, Kaloi Akhilgov.

The attack, he said, was apparently timed to coincide with the five-year anniversary Monday of a daring rebel raid on the Ingush capital of Nazran, when Chechen and Ingush gunmen briefly seized the city and killed nearly 100 police and security officials.

The Kremlin has been using Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of nextdoor Chechnya, for its regional dirty work. Kadyrov has a pet tiger, reportedly keeps a dungeon in his basement, and hangs out with Mike Tyson; he's a real sweetheart. And it looks like the Kremlin is going to set him loose on the insurgents:

On Tuesday Mr Kadyrov said he had been ordered by Russia's Dmitry Medvedev to run operations in both countries.

He told Reuters: "He told me to intensify actions... including in Ingushetia. I will personally control the operations... and I am sure in the near future there will be good results."