MOSCOW: Chechnya’s rebels are preparing to send out fighters to attack Russia anywhere on its territory, and could activate their attacks any day now, a spokesman for the movement said.
In comments published on a rebel website, Movladi Udugov said the separatist movement had rejected Western democracy, in favour of setting up a state ruled only by Islamic law. His comments will raise concerns the rebels might be prepared to return to the use of suicide bombers, which were previously sent against civilian targets in Moscow and the Caucasus, but have not been used since 2004.
“Our minimum goal - not to surrender - is achieved. Now we have a different goal, which is total war, war everywhere you can find the enemy, ... a war of units unified with mobile groups and individuals, which can operate autonomously to the rear of the enemy without waiting for orders,” Udugov said. “We are counting not on the scale of attacks, but their effectiveness. And this requires staging attacks at any point in all of Russia, not only in the Caucasus.”
The debate between pro-Western Chechens and Saudi-inspired Islamists split the region after Russian troops pulled out in 1996, and the de facto independent government’s adoption of some elements of Islamic law alienated many former allies. When Russian troops were sent back into Chechnya in 1999, the Kremlin said it wanted to crush religious extremism on behalf of Russia’s secular constitution. Ironically, the pro-Moscow Chechens now in power have brought in elements of religious law themselves, enforcing head scarves for women, and cracking down on alcohol and gambling. Reuters
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