Eric Margolis posted this on his blog April 5:
Chechen suicide bombers hit Moscow’s subway last week, killing 39 and injuring over 70. Chechen suicide bombers in Dagestan killed twelve, mostly policemen. There were further attacks in the region.
The North Caucasus was again at a boil.
The Moscow subway attacks were reportedly staged by two `black widows’ – wives or daughters of Chechen independence fighters killed or raped by the Russians (Russians call them `Islamic terrorists’ and `bandits’). They took their revenge in Moscow last week, as often in recent years.
Chechen are Russia’s nemesis. Even the notoriously brutal Russian mafia fears the ferocious Chechen, and for good reason.
Last year, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin proudly proclaimed that resistance to Russian rule in the North Caucasus had been eliminated. The region was pacified, he claimed.
Last week’s bloody attacks seriously rattled Russians and left the Kremlin deeply embarrassed and enraged.
The latest Chechen leader, Doku Umarov – all his predecessors were liquidated by Russia – claimed from his hideout in the Caucasus mountains that the subway attacks were reprisal for the recent killing of Chechen civilians by Russian security forces.
He warned Moscow, `we will make you feel what we feel.’
In recent years, Chechen `black widows’ have brought down two civilian airliners. Other Chechen hijacked an entire Moscow theater, and derailed the “Alexander Nevsky” Express that runs from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Chechen are a tiny but fierce North Caucasian mountain people of Indo-European origin. They, and other Muslim Caucasian tribes, such as Dagestanis and Cherkass
(Circassians), have battled Russian imperial rule for the past 300 years.
i was idly thinking why the Russians just don't dump the entire region. the answer is probably dark and liquid and under the region.
ReplyDeleteMargolis knows more about foreign policy than the entire Obama administration combined. He doesn't regurgitate talking points from some ivory tower think tank position paper. He's been on the ground, witnessed many of these wars first-hand, knows many of the leaders, and has an understanding of the cultures and histories.
ReplyDeleteHe'd make a fabulous Sectary of State or National Security Advisor. Why is it that we get the likes of Hillary Clinton and John Kerry instead?
Please note, this is great info, but is from Apr. 2010, not 2013.
ReplyDelete