Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Inside Russia's Brutal Guerilla War In Dagestan


Dagestan And The Tsarnaev Brothers: The Radicalisation Risk -- Tim Franks BBC World Service

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger Boston marathon bombing suspect, will appear in court in just over two weeks. In Dagestan, the Russian republic where the brothers lived before emigrating to the US, few believe he is guilty. But an Islamist insurgency has been under way for years here - and it's all too easy for young men to become radicalised.

In a bare apartment in an unfinished block in Makhachkala, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva is poring over pictures on a laptop. The four still images revolve on a loop. Tsarnaeva rocks gently, waving her hand at the faces on the screen.

"Look at him," she implores. "Look how he loves life, he loves children. This is my Dzhokhar."

She is speaking of her younger son, who is in custody in the US, awaiting his first court appearance on 10 July for his alleged role in the Boston bombings. His older brother, Tamerlan, died in a police shoot-out during the ensuing manhunt.

Read more ....

My Comment: The Caucasus is Russia's mini-Afghanistan .... but without the publicity and world focus. My prediction .... this is a long drawn out conflict that will not end in my lifetime.

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