Chechnya: Separatists, Russian Forces in for the Long Haul and Big Cash

3/23/2005

By Angelique van Engelen

Global Politician - A next turn in the war in Chechnya is highly unpredictable, but the Islamic independence fighters who have insisted on wreaking total chaos appear to have gotten themselves what they have been after - an all out war against the Russians. Some have said that with the death of Aslan Maskhadov, the war in Chechnya as such is over. Now the show is run by Islamic separatist movements who run a 'race to extermination' and Moscow-backed security forces run by Ramsan Kadyrov, a 27-year old disgraced son of the country's former president who was killed earlier on.

Risks of the separatists taking their strife outside Chechnyan borders yet again are high, whilst also the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline that runs for 80 miles through Chechnya is a target for the independence fighters in particular. "Expect a fire across the North Caucasus, and possibly some places north and south. The madmen really are running the asylum now," according to Sobaka Magazine, an online information platform on war torn areas that has live contacts on the ground.

From the perspective of all parties involved, the war is likely to be going on for a long time if no one ends the cycle of violence that thugs and warlords have engaged themselves in. So long as their actions are driven by financial gain more than anything else, they are unlikely to find an incentive to end their violence.

A prominent extremist that fought with Maskhadov is Shamil Basayev. But this man, branded an international terrorist by the US, has a record of implementing large-scale terror attacks outside Chechnya and he is seen as a prime risk in this country. He was involved in the Dubrovka siege, the Metro bombings, and a string of other attacks. His latest exploit is the training of female suicide bombers - the "Black Widows" - who were feared to have been behind a plane crash recently.

The US has linked Basayev with Al Qaeda and since the killing of Makhadov, Basayev and consorts have said they were proud to be linked with the leader of the Al Qaeda group Bin Laden. Saying they saw a shiney vision on his face, they pretty much made themselves out to be more dangerous than some observers believe they are. Basayev is fighting among others only for the unity of the Northern countries in the Caucasus.

Continued...

Warlord Killed In Chechnya Was Ex-U.s. Marine
Moscow | March 24

RIA Novosti - Rizvan Chitigov, who was killed in the district center Shali in Chechnya on Wednesday and was the third most influential warlord after Shamil Basayev and Doku Umarov, had graduated from an elite U.S. subversion and reconnaissance school and had served on a contract basis in a U.S. Marine battalion, Kommersant reports.

Marine dog tags indicating his name, and date and place of birth, were discovered on his body.

In the early 1990s, Chitigov went to America using the assistance of an international Muslim fund, which had a mission in Chechnya. Returning to Shali in 1994, he told his compatriots that he could have forged a career in the U.S. Navy (and was subsequently called "the American" after that), but a warlord, Khattab, persuaded him to return to his native republic.

Chitigov initially fought under Khattab and commanded the only tank battalion the self-proclaimed Chechen Republic of Ichkeria had. He began the second Chechen campaign in Grozny but later escaped to the mountains and Georgia. Operational information acquired in summer 2001 said he was planning to use chemical and bacteriological weapons against federal forces. Soon "the American's" secret base with a batch of homemade ricin was found. This is when Chitigov received his second alias, "the Chemist."

Several days ago, the security services intercepted a mobile telephone conversation and established where Chitigov could be hiding after spending the winter in Baku. A three-room flat was checked three times, but nobody was found. But when the security service officers were leaving the flat the fourth time, they heard a noise.

It turned out that Chitigov had spent over three days in a small niche in a wall masked by tiles. The terrorist was in a hurry to leave the flat and dropped a tiled panel on the floor. He opened fire at the policemen who rushed back into the flat but missed and was killed by return fire.

Chechen guerrilla leader Rizvan Chitigov
John C.K. Daly | Washington | March 24

UPI - Russia's security services assassinated Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov on March 8 after fixing his position using radiolocation equipment. Now the Kremlin is reporting the death on Wednesday of Chechen guerrilla leader Rizvan Chitigov, who is described as the third most influential warlord after Shamil Basayev and Doku Umarov.

Several days ago Russian security services intercepted one of Chitigov's mobile telephone conversations and established where Chitigov could be hiding in Shali after spending the winter in Baku, Azerbaijan. Chitigov was located in a three-room apartment where he was hiding behind a wall partition and was killed after an exchange of gunfire.

Chitigov had the nickname in the Chechen resistance of "Amerikanets" ("the American.") Chitigov had graduated from an elite U.S. subversion and reconnaissance school and had served on a contract basis in a U.S. Marine battalion in the early 1990s, and U.S. Marine dog tags indicating his name, and date and place of birth were discovered on his body.

Chitigov went to the United States with the support of an international Muslim fund, which had a mission in Chechnya. When Chitigov returned to Shali in 1994, he told his compatriots that he could have had a career in the U.S. Navy, but that the Arab warlord Khattab persuaded him to return to Chechnya.

Chitigov initially fought under Khattab and commanded the Chechen's only tank battalion during the 1994-1996 Russo-Chechen war. According to the Russian authorities, Chitigov was involved in terrorist attacks in Moscow and Chechnya and participated in the 1999 execution of four kidnapped officials from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe.