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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Al-Qaeda's role in Chechnya
2004-10-08
The Al-Qa'idah representatives in Chechnya are fairly high-level functionaries, the deputy head of the Russian Federal Security Department for the Chechen Republic, Aleksandr Potapov, has said. "Operational information attests that they are middle-ranking members of Al-Qa'idah. More than 10 of the total number of mercenaries belong directly to the network of the Al-Qa'idah international terrorist organization," Potapov told Interfax by phone. "Usamah Bin-Ladin never draws in people in whom he does not have complete trust. Otherwise, his own people would have long since handed him over for the 25m dollars offered by the USA," Potapov said.

At present Al-Qa'idah's main protege in Chechnya is the Arab mercenary Abu Khavs, who took over from Abu al-Walid when the latter was iced nailed forcibly departed from this mortal coil eliminated by federal forces in April 2004. Another Arab mercenary, Abu Zeyt, is responsible for coordinating acts of sabotage in Ingushetia and the adjacent Urus-Martanovskiy and Achkhoy-Martanovskiy districts in Chechnya. "Overall, analysis of operational information attests that there could be more than 150 mercenaries in Chechnya who are citizens of some 40 countries and most of whom are Arabs, Turks, citizens of Western countries or the CIS states," Potapov said. He said that in most cases Al-Qa'idah representatives plan and carry out terrorist activities independently and do not coordinate their actions with Aslan Maskhadov or Shamil Basayev. "There is no information that gives grounds to conclude that Basayev and Maskhadov are completely subordinate to members of Al-Qa'idah or, on the contrary, that members of Al-Qa'idah are accountable to them. Basayev and Maskhadov are certainly not able to dictate terms, since the money comes through Al-Qa'idah and its representatives decide who should receive how much. Nor is there 100-per-cent proven information that the mercenaries are in complete control of the situation," Potapov said. At the same time, evidence given by militants who have been arrested has shown that individual acts of terrorism are jointly planned at sittings of what is called the Shura," he said.

The FSB representative stressed that special working groups have been set up to gather operational data on Basayev and Maskhadov and it has been made the personal responsibility of specific individuals. "There has always been a search for these leaders but this work has now been made more specific and more targeted. Police officers, members of the Chechen president's security service and operatives from a variety of security and law-enforcement structures play a permanent part in the operation," Potapov said.
Posted by:Dan Darling

#1  These assholes are like cockroaches--hard to get rid of.
Posted by: John (Q. Citizen)   2004-10-08 1:33:52 PM  

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