Does this indicate that these are professional mercinaries or foriegners. Or both?
I believe the Chechnya- based terrorists have some ties to the A-Q network, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Iranians (some of whom also appear to be Caucasian) are also involved in these beheadings. I bolded some critical areas since I realize (from personal experience) that many people scroll right by most quotes:
From the Council on Foreign Relations:
Are there links between Chechen groups and al-Qaeda?
Yes. Experts say there are reportedly several ties, including those between:
-The late Chechen warlord Khattab, a Jordanian-born fighter who was killed in Chechnya in April 2002, and Osama bin Laden. Khattab apparently first met bin Laden while both men were fighting the 1979-89 Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Alexander Vershbow, said shortly after September 11, “We have long recognized that Osama bin Laden and other international networks have been fueling the flames in Chechnya, including the involvement of foreign commanders like Khattab.”
-Individuals connected to the September 11 attacks and Chechnya. A Moroccan man charged with abetting the hijackers told a German court in October 2002 that the plot’s ringleader, Muhammad Atta, initially planned to join the fight in Chechnya.
Zacarias Moussaoui, whom U.S. authorities have charged with being the “20th hijacker” in the September 11 attacks, was reported by the Wall Street Journal to be formerly “a recruiter for al-Qaeda-backed rebels in Chechnya.”
Chechen militants reportedly fought alongside al-Qaeda and Taliban forces against the U.S.-backed Northern Alliance in late 2001. The Taliban regime in Afghanistan was one of the only governments to recognize Chechen independence.
Does the Russian government say that al-Qaeda is active in Chechnya?
Yes. Russian authorities, including President Vladimir Putin, have repeatedly stressed the involvement of international terrorists and bin Laden associates in Chechnya—in part, experts say, to generate Western sympathy for Russia’s military campaign against the Chechen rebels.
cfrterrorism.org...
Don't underestimate the Chechen terrorists either- most of those guys are animals. They've captured Russian citizens, video taped them, sent the video tapes to family members and demanded ransom money. No ransom money comes (due to poverty), some time later the family gets a video of their beloved getting their head chopped off or throat cut out- often by the gruesome "knife" method.
MK
[edit on 21-9-2004 by MKULTRA]
