The North Caucasus: Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia

[kaur]

By its actions in Georgia, the Russian government has increased its control over the governments of the republics in the North Caucasus but has created a situation in which, as a result, those regimes and as a result Moscow too are losing control over the people there, according to a leading specialist at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
And the reason for this, Enver Kisriyev, the head of the Caucasus Section of the Academy’s Center for Civilization and Regional Research, told Kreml.org, is that Moscow has ignored the egalitarian and pluralist nature of the societies there and instead sought to create a narrow pyramid of power with a single head

http://windowoneurasia.blogspot.com/...ontrol-of.html

[kaur]

MOSCOW (AFP) — An opposition website in southern Russia said more than 50 soldiers were killed by militias on Saturday in clashes that officials told Russian news agencies had killed only two soldiers.

The Ingushetia.org website cited a local official from the interior ministry giving the casualty figure, which would represent one of the worst losses for Russian forces since the end of major combat operations in Chechnya

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5...S2POn_HWXZ2iEw

[kaur]

12.02 there was OMON raid in Nazran. During the attack terrorists initiated explosion (equivalent to 70 kg TNT). Take a look at photos.

http://www.rg.ru/2009/02/13/utro.html

http://www.kommersant.ru/doc.aspx?Do...7654&NodesID=6

www.google.com/translate

[kaur]

New tactics in Ingushetia - insurgency snipers at work?

Less than one day in several towns in Ingushetia wounded two policemen and one soldier. In all cases, shot by snipers, noted in the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Note that similar incidents can be described as unusual for Ingushetia. There, indeed, almost every day of attacks on law enforcement, but with the use of automatic weapons and grenade launchers.

http://newsru.com/russia/18feb2009/snipers.html

via http://translate.google.com/

[George L. Singleton]

automatic weapons and grenade launchers vs. snipers.

Can you explain your interpretation of an "inferred" new style of combat with snipers now being noted by you?

[bourbon]

Sniper attacks are a rarity in Ingushetia. Running a check in World News Connection, there are no reports of sniper attacks in Ingushetia prior to May 2008. Three policemen are wounded in three different shootings in May. Several events occur from October to December, with at least 2 killed. On January 11 there are two sniper incidents, with one wounded and an MVD squadron commander killed. For February, on the 10th one highway patrolman shot at a checkpoint, February 16 one MVD engineer wounded, Kaur's article notes 3 events on the 18th.

This info is just what I could pull of the newswire, so it is far from accurate. But most attacks in Ingushetia have been of the bombing and automatic weapon/grenade variety. I imagine the fog is pretty bad this time of year in Ingushetia, that can't help much. I don't recall seeing many recent reports of snipers elsewhere in the North Caucasus. One notable incident is the assassination of the mayor of Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia last fall. Ossetian Jamaat claimed responsibility, but you never know.

[George L. Singleton]

A "trained or schooled" sniper is a cut above a suicidal or non-suicidal terrorist.

Who do you think is training these snipers?