Thursday, June 25, 2009

Russia's Low Intensity Conflict In the Caucasus Is Starting To Heat Up

The Caucasus
(Click The Above Image To Enlarge)

Image from The University of Colorado

A String of Killings in Russia’s Restless South -- The Danger Room

Earlier this spring, the Kremlin effectively declared victory after a decade and a half of conflict in the Chechen Republic. With pro-Moscow strongman Ramzan Kadyrov firmly in place, the authorities were able to declare that Chechnya was no longer a “zone of anti-terrorist operations.”

Not so for Chechnya’s neighbors, however. The president of Ingushetia, a region just west of Chechnya, remains hospitalized with serious wounds after a suicide car bomb attack on his motorcade earlier this week, and Kadyrov is now vowing “cruel revenge.” It’s part of a pattern of rising violence. A week earlier, gunmen killed a former top government minister in Ingushetia. Earlier this month, the interior minister of Dagestan, the republic to the east of Chechnya, was shot dead at a wedding in the city of Makhachkala.

Read more ....

Update:
6 killed, 5 wounded in Russia's North Caucasus -- AP

My Comment: The above image from the University of Colorado reveals the numerous ethnic groups that make up the Caucasus. War and conflict has always existed in this region, and Russian involvement has only poisoned the situation more. Is there any resolution to this brew of conflict .... from what I can see .... the answer is no.

No comments: