Pankisi Gorge crisis

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Pankisi Gorge Operations
Part of War on Terror, Spillover of the Second Chechen War, and the Chechen-Russian conflict
GEO-KK-AK.svg
Akhmeta Municipality (Kakheti, Eastern Georgia), where the Pankisi Gorge is located.
Date14 April 2001– September 2003
Location
Result Georgian victory
Belligerents
Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Georgia
Supported by:
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Flag of the United States.svg  United States [1]
Flag of Jihad.svg Arab Mujahideen [1]
Flag of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.svg Chechen fighters
Flag of Jihad.svg Al-Qaeda (alleged) [1]
Commanders and leaders
Flag of Georgia (1990-2004).svg Eduard Shevardnadze Flag of Jihad.svg Abu Atiya [2]
Flag of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.svg Ibn al-Khattab  
Flag of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.svg Shamil Basayev
Flag of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria.svg Ruslan Gelayev
Strength
Over 1,000 security forces Possibly hundreds of militants
Casualties and losses
Four police officers captured (later freed) Unknown killed
Many dozen captured

The Pankisi Gorge crisis was a spillover of the Second Chechen War, with military dimension in Georgia early in the 2000s. Georgia was pressured by Russia and the United States to repress the threats of Al-Qaeda in the Pankisi Gorge. [3]

Contents

The ricin crisis

There seems little reason for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to move into Pankisi Gorge, which is remote from Middle Eastern operational environments. [4] In the build-up to the Iraq War in early 2003, dozens of North Africans (mainly Algerians) were arrested in the United Kingdom, France and Spain on charges of preparing ricin and other chemical weapons. Colin Powell and others trumpeted the arrests as proof of the threat posed by the Zarqawi-Chechen-Pankisi ricin network, which has now been expanded to include the Ansar al-Islam of Kurdish northern Iraq.

French and British security officials were astounded by Powell's insistence on February 12, 2003, saying that "the ricin that is bouncing around Europe now originated in Iraq." With the Iraq invasion only weeks away, the source of the ricin threat moved from Georgia to Iraq.

Sergei Ivanov reported that the Spanish suspects had been trained in the Pankisi Gorge by Al-Qaeda terrorists and even claimed that Osama Bin Laden may have been hiding somewhere in the Akhmeta Municipality. [5] There were also claims of several Al-Qaeda laboratories producing ricin. Those lacked any evidence however, as the production of ricin required large quantities of castor beans, which were not grown in Georgia. [6]

On 11 March 2002, US President George W. Bush claimed that "terrorists working closely with al Qaeda operate in the Pankisi Gorge". [1]

U.S.-Georgian anti-terrorist operations

On 28 April 2002 a small Georgian anti-terror unit, led by their U.S. commander, ambushed a group of insurgents. It was falsely believed that prominent mujahid leader Ibn al-Khattab was among the dead, according to allegations that Omar Mohammed Ali Al Rammah reportedly witnessed him die in that incident. This was due to his real identity remaining a mystery until after his demise. The quick and violent nature of the operation reportedly sparked fear among Chechen militants in the area, who went into hiding. [7]

By October 20, 2002, Georgia had netted about a dozen Arab militants. [8]

The Georgians and the U.S. led a serious crackdown on the militants that littered the gorge, capturing an unknown number of combatants. On September 3, 2003, President Eduard Shevardnadze said that the Georgian security forces had established full control over the gorge. Georgia sent 1,000 police officers and security troops to the region late in October, setting up checkpoints and vowing to impose order. [9]

Georgian officials also said they planned to build up the number of border troops near Chechnya and Ingushetia, another Russian republic. Russia accused Georgia of allowing Chechen fighters to raid across the border. On June 15, 2003, 15 more Chechen militants entered the area and took refuge in a two-story house. Georgian officials said that more than 30 militants were detained. [10]

France cracked down on May 14, 2004, by arresting two Algerians working with chemical and biological weapons. [11] Georgia announced the end of the operation and withdrew its Internal Troops from the region by January 21, 2005. [12]

South Ossetian tension

In October 2002, the South Ossetian government viewed the operations in the Pankisi Gorge as a threat to their breakaway state, calling up the separatist reservists for a potential all out conflict with Georgia. [13] The tension peaked when Georgian president Shevardnadze said it would "be reasonable" to expand the security sweep operation in the Pankisi Gorge into South Ossetia. Specifically, the Georgian government cited a massive increase in crime in South Ossetia, claiming that the separatists did not have a functioning security service to protect its residents. [13] Konstantin Kochiev, a South Ossetian diplomat, stated that in an effort to placate the Georgian government's concerns, that South Ossetia would undergo extensive police reform. [13] The suggestion for an expanded operation zone was quickly shot down by the National Security Council stating that any operation in South Ossetia would result in armed conflict with the separatists. [13] There was also heightened concern among the separatists that the cooperation between Georgia and Russia in the Pankisi Gorge could result in Russian support for the Georgian government's restoration in South Ossetia. [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

Pankisi or the Pankisi Gorge is a valley region in Georgia, in the upper reaches of River Alazani just south of Georgia’s historic region of Tusheti between Mt Borbalo and the ruined 17th-century fortress of Bakhtrioni. Administratively, it is included in the Akhmeta municipality of the Kakheti region. An ethnic group called Kists of Chechen roots form the majority (75%) in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shamil Basayev</span> Chechen militant (1965–2006)

Shamil Salmanovich Basayev, also known by his kunya "Abu Idris", was a Chechen guerilla leader who served as a senior military commander in the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. He held the rank of brigadier general in the Armed Forces of Ichkeria, and was posthumously declared generalissimo. As a military commander in the separatist armed forces of Chechnya, one of his most notable battles was the separatist recapture of Grozny in 1996, which he personally planned and commanded together with Aslan Maskhadov. He also masterminded several of the worst terrorist attacks that occurred in Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibn al-Khattab</span> Saudi jihadist (1963/1969–2002)

Samir Saleh Abdullah al-Suwailim, commonly known as Ibn al-Khattab or Emir Khattab, was a Saudi Arabian pan-Islamic mujahid. Though he fought in many conflicts, he is best known for his involvement in the First Chechen War and the Second Chechen War, which he participated in after moving to Chechnya at the invitation of the Akhmadov brothers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad</span> Jordanian/Iraqi Salafi jihadist militant group (1999–2004)

Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, abbreviated as JTJ or Jama'at, was a Salafi jihadist militant group. It was founded in Jordan in 1999, and was led by Jordanian national Abu Musab al-Zarqawi for the entirety of its existence. During the Iraqi insurgency (2003–11), the group became a decentralized network with foreign fighters with a considerable Iraqi membership.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgian Civil War</span> 1991–1993 ethnic civil war in Georgia

The Georgian Civil War lasted from 1991 to 1993 in the South Caucasian country of Georgia. It consisted of inter-ethnic and international conflicts in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as the violent military coup d'état against the first democratically-elected President of Georgia, Zviad Gamsakhurdia, and his subsequent uprising in an attempt to regain power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruslan Gelayev</span> Chechen military commander

Ruslan (Khamzat) Germanovich Gelayev was a prominent commander in the Chechen resistance movement against Russia, in which he played a significant, yet controversial, military and political role in the 1990s and early 2000s. Gelayev was commonly viewed as an abrek and a well-respected, ruthless fighter. His operations spread well beyond the borders of Chechnya and even outside the Russian Federation and into Georgia. He was killed while leading a raid into the Russian Republic of Dagestan in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Ayyub al-Masri</span> Egyptian al-Qaeda member (1967–2010)

Abu Ayyub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, born Abdel Moneim Ezz El-Din Ali Al-Badawi, was an Egyptian militant leader who was the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq during the Iraqi insurgency, following the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in June 2006. He was war minister of the Islamic State of Iraq from 2006 to 2010 and prime minister of the Islamic State of Iraq from 2009 to 2010. He was killed during a raid on his safehouse on 18 April 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Omar al-Baghdadi</span> First leader of the Islamic State of Iraq

Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, born Hamid Dawud Mohamed Khalil al-Zawi was an Iraqi militant who was the Emir of the Islamic militant umbrella organization Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC), and its successor, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI), which fought against the U.S.-led Coalition forces during the Iraqi insurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Musab al-Zarqawi</span> Jordanian jihadist (1966–2006)

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh, was a Jordanian militant jihadist who ran a training camp in Afghanistan. He became known after going to Iraq and being responsible for a series of bombings, beheadings, and attacks during the Iraq War, reportedly "turning an insurgency against US troops" in Iraq "into a Shia–Sunni civil war". He was sometimes known by his supporters as the "Sheikh of the slaughterers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu al-Walid</span> Islamist terrorist

Abu al-Walid was a Saudi Arabian of the Ghamd tribe who fought as a "mujahid" volunteer in Central Asia, the Balkans, and the North Caucasus. He was killed in April 2004 in Chechnya by the Russian federal forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Hafs al-Urduni</span> Mujahid commander (1973–2006)

Abu Hafs al-Urduni, also transliterated as Abu Hafs al-Urdani, was a Jordanian Mujahid Emir (commander) fighting in Chechnya. He was killed in Dagestan on November 26, 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhannad (jihadist)</span> Saudi Arabian militant active in Chechnya (1969–2011)

Khaled Youssef Mohammed al-Emirat, more commonly known as Muhannad, and also known as Abu Anas, was a Mujahid Emir (commander) fighting in Chechnya. Following the death of Abu Hafs al-Urduni on 26 November 2006, he was named leader of the battalion of foreign fighters once commanded by the notorious Saudi-born Ibn al-Khattab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat</span> Algerian terrorist faction

The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, known by the French acronym GSPC, was an Algerian islamist terrorist faction in the Algerian Civil War founded in 1998 by Hassan Hattab, a former regional commander of the Armed Islamic Group (GIA). After Hattab was ousted from the organization in 2003, the group officially pledged support for al-Qaeda, and in January 2007, the group officially changed its name to the "Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb" (AQIM).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Qaeda in Iraq</span> Salafi jihadist militant group (2004–2006)

Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn, more commonly known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq, was a Salafi jihadist organization affiliated with Al-Qaeda. It was founded on 17 October 2004, and was led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi until its disbandment on 15 October 2006 after he was killed in a targeted bombing on June 7, 2006 in Hibhib, Iraq by the United States Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prelude to the Russo-Georgian War</span> Events before the 2008 war in Georgia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saleh Al-Qaraawi</span> Leader of Al-Qaeda in Lebanon

Saleh Al-Qaraawi is a Saudi militant Jihadist.

Abdulla Kurd, , was a Kurdish militant who was a commander of the Mujahideen in Chechnya. Kurd was the top deputy to Saudi-born field commander Muhannad. Following Muhannad's capture and assassination near the village of Serzhen-Yurt on 21 April 2011, according to the Russian National Anti-Terrorist Committee, Kurd assumed Muhannad's position. Kurd was killed by Russian security forces in the Cheberloevsky area of Chechnya on 3 May 2011.

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Anti-Chechen sentiment, Chechenophobia, anti-Chechenism, or Nokhchophobia, refers to fear, dislike, hostility, hatred, discrimination, and racism towards ethnic Chechens, the Chechen language, or the Chechen culture in general. Anti-Chechen sentiment has been historically strong in Russia, and to some degree has spread to other countries in the former Soviet Union, such as Azerbaijan, to Europe, the Middle East, and to the United States. For decades, the main causes of hatred against Chechens have been largely due to the created narrative which depicts a violent mentality of Chechens, the association of Chechens with Islamic extremism, and Russian imperialist propaganda targeted at Chechens.

Konstantin Kochiev is an Ossetian diplomat and politician from the partially recognized Caucasian Republic of South Ossetia, which most of the United Nations recognizes as part of Georgia, occupied by Russia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Pressed by U.S., Georgia Gets Tough With Outsiders: Valley Drew Arabs and Chechens, But Were They Al Qaeda?". The Washington Post. 27 April 2002.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. File:Powell UN Iraq presentation, alleged Terrorist Network.jpg
  3. "Refworld | Moscow hostage crisis underscores risk of Georgia's Chechen dilemma".
  4. "Ricin Fever: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the Pankisi Gorge". Jamestown. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14.
  5. "Georgia: Situation in Pankisi Gorge Raises Tension, Speculation".
  6. "Ricin Fever: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the Pankisi Gorge".
  7. OARDEC (16 September 2005). "Unclassified Summary of Evidence for Administrative Review Board in the case of Al Rammah, Omar Mohammed Ali" (PDF). United States Department of Defense. pp. 42–44. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 December 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-08. The detainee witnessed the ambush that killed Ibn al Khattab
  8. "TIME Magazine: Al-Qaeda: Alive and Ticking". Archived from the original on 2004-08-26. Retrieved 2004-08-26.
  9. NYT, Steven Lee Myers (3 September 2002). "World Briefing - Europe: Georgia: Region Under Control". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 27 May 2015.
  10. Filkins, Dexter (15 June 2003). "U.S. Entangled in Mystery of Georgia's Islamic Fighters". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 4 December 2017.
  11. Smith, Craig S. (15 May 2004). "French Seize 2 Algerians in Terrorist Inquiry". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 7 October 2017.
  12. "Timeline - 2005". Civil Georgia. 31 December 2005. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 Dzugayev, Kosta. "South Ossetia mobilises". ReliefWeb . Retrieved 10 April 2024.