Russia Clashes Leave At Least 24 Dead In Northern Caucasus

MOSCOW, Feb 18 (Reuters) - Seventeen police and at least seven insurgents were killed in four days of fighting on the border between the Chechnya and Dagestan provinces in Russia's North Caucasus, police said on Saturday.

The toll among government forces was the biggest in months in the region along Russia's southern border, where it faces an Islamist insurgency more than a decade after driving separatists from power in a war in Chechnya.

Another 24 police and security troops were wounded in the fighting, state-run news agency RIA cited Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev as telling President Dmitry Medvedev.

He said the government forces had been ambushed, but it was unclear when that happened. Other reports suggested the police were killed at various times during the fighting.

Chechnya's Kremlin-backed leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Friday seven members of an armed group had been killed, including its leader.

Russian forces fought two wars against Chechen rebels, first in 1994-1996 and again beginning in 1999.

Chechnya has been rebuilt but fighting persists there and insurgents carry out nearly daily attacks in neighbouring Dagestan and Ingushetia. Rights groups say heavy-handed police tactics fuel the rebellion.

The insurgents based in the mostly Muslim North Caucasus have also struck with suicide bombings in Moscow, including a blast that killed 37 people at Russia's busiest airport in January 2011.


(Writing by Steve Gutterman; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Comments

[patrick klocek]

04:12 AM on 02/21/2012

The US needs to understand that the Russians are actually our natural allies in the international war against Islamic expansionism and jihad.

[mu chowdhury]

10:27 AM on 02/21/2012

At last one Islamophobic strain found !!

[CubnKira]

09:21 PM on 02/19/2012

Maybe Putin will now join the rest of the world and not arm Syria and Iran who supply terrrorists worldwide with weapons. Putin is sheer evil.

[patrick klocek]

04:35 AM on 02/21/2012

Putin is smart. He knows that the same people attacking his forces in the south are the same people trying to wrest control of Syria from the Assad family -- the Salafis. Putin is not stupid. Western leaders, generally speaking, are stupid.

[Vlad Roudenko]

03:30 AM on 02/24/2012

At least we agree on something.

[Abdul-Halim Vazquez]

07:25 PM on 02/19/2012

Ethnic Chechens have been in conflict with Russia from before the Chechens were Muslims. Religion is a convenient way to generate solidarity and support but it isn't fundamentally a theological conflict.

[AllegroTroppo]

12:12 AM on 02/20/2012

Agreed.

[consultingpbh]

06:38 PM on 02/19/2012

This is why Russia has vetoed UN sanctions in Syria (a secular nation) and has not vetoed any sanctions against Iran...In 2010 Russia learned of Irans Turkey-Brazil attempt on getting nuclear materials and was infuriated, Russia is not interested in “expanding the nuclear club through the back door.” Especially to Islamic nations and Turkey has been an enemy of Russia since the Ottoman Empire.. In 2009, Russia learned that a good number of the "Rebels" in Chechnya were Iranian Mujahideen and Iranian trained al Qaeda (identfied the bodies). Russia is an oil exporter and has backed UN/EU nations on the oil embargo of Iran with Russian oil... Only China has a better solution for Islamic fundamentalists...The symbol in China for House is a Roof over a PIG. Any Muslim that wont use the symbol is sent (China controls its own internal migration) to Xinjiang, location of the largest coal fires in the world...one is 1,000 miles long 750 miles wide...noxious fumes and the job you get...put out the fires.
“Sua Sponte”
75th Regiment
Company O
3rd Brigade
82nd Airborne (’66 -’73)

[Vlad Roudenko]

01:29 AM on 02/20/2012

You are saying things that made absolutely no sense at all. There is no such thing as Iranian trained Al Qaeda. Iran is a predominantly Shia state. Al Qaeda are entirely Sunni extremist group, or so they claim. They are the enemies of Iran.Russia did not back US/EU ban on Iranian oil. That is utter nonsense.

[consultingpbh]

03:03 AM on 02/20/2012

You're wrong...Russia is no friend of Iran after Chechnya and could've vetoed any UN sanctions on Iran but hasn't, as it did with Syria...Russia is an oil exporter and will gladly fill the void left by Iran...The oil embargo of Iran is supported by Russia by non-action. Iran cuts off oil to the UK and France, Russia will fill the void and make money... Al Qaeda is an equal rights volunteer group that trains anywhere that they are allowed...While it’s worth noting that Al-Qaeda has a new leader in Iran, it’s more noteworthy that Muhsin al Fadhli is a Kuwaiti and Al-Qaeda has been embraced by the Shiite Iranian government. (al Fadhli also fought against Russian forces in Chechnya, see first link) "The enemy of our enemy is our friend."
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/02/report_new_leader_of.php
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137061/seth-g-jones/al-qaeda-in-iran
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/24143
Russia will do what's good for Russia, and poke the US in the side, increase oil exports and keep Islamic fundamentalists in check...Your thought process is naive at best. With little knowledge of the area... Iran would deal with anyone that is against the US and Russia will do anything for money, but it has been burned twice by Islamic fundamentalists, Afghanistan and Chechnya.
“Sua Sponte”
75th Regiment
Company O
3rd Brigade
82nd Airborne (’66 -’73)

[djpgriffin]

03:29 PM on 02/19/2012

Good! Pootin needs more of this. Anyone who sides with these Jihadists needs them raising "H" on their doorsteps.

[viper1ex19]

02:40 PM on 02/19/2012

Coming to a US City near you,,,

[Casey Hutchinson]

05:24 PM on 02/19/2012

Yeah, like the White House.

[AllegroTroppo]

06:18 PM on 02/19/2012

They're re already here. Every been to Dearbornistan, Michingan?
But we can thank the founding Fathers for the 2nd Amendment we will not become their doormats like in Londonistan.

[Doug Sandlin]

07:18 PM on 02/19/2012

What in the U.S. is even remotely analogous to the situation in Chechnya?

[Romano54]

08:46 PM on 02/19/2012

The corruption of the soviet and then the Russian system that serves only to direct public funds into the pockets of well connected private opportunistst leaving nothing for the masses. Sound familiar?

[drb107]

02:33 PM on 02/19/2012

Well its finally nice to hear that Russia is having problems with the Islamic radicals that the US and Israel have put up with for over 60 years. The US, Europe, Russia and China need to set down and work this problem out, if they don't then expect WWIII in the next 20 years and then we all lose and we all can start re-inventing the wheel inside our caves if we were lucky/unlucky enough to survive this nuclear holocaust.

[Jan Harper]

03:51 PM on 02/19/2012

Russia has been fighting the Islamic radicals for a long time..

[Vlad Roudenko]

07:51 PM on 02/20/2012

If the US and Saudi government stops funding them we won't be having this problem.

[sunnynight]

02:22 PM on 02/19/2012

That is how God is punishing Russia for her anti-Israeli policy and support for the Arab colonizers and imperialists!

[Jan Harper]

03:52 PM on 02/19/2012

That makes no sense.

[dshutt86]

02:18 PM on 02/19/2012

They better want to die if they keep pushing Russia because Russia doesn't do the whole "winning hearts and minds" thing, they will unleash hell.

[OlegPutinov]

02:00 PM on 02/19/2012

Preparations to receive the Chechens at Ostrov Belkovski in the Artic Ocean have been completed.
Relocations will start just as soon as Tovarich Vladimir Vladimirovich is reelected.
It is time to put all this behind us, enough is enough.

[pscottparker1]

04:50 PM on 02/19/2012

If that actually happened there would be quite an outcry worldwide, I imagine anyway. I can see, though, how this conflict would weigh on the Russian politicians as it just keeps going on and on. Russia and the U.S. should unite behind this instead of splitting. Doesn't seem very smart to be apart on this issue.

[Vlad Roudenko]

07:54 PM on 02/20/2012

This is pure nonsense not even worth paying attention to. This is most likely the dream of the Neo Nazi nationalists. Russia and the US will never unite as the US keeps funding these radicals through proxies, along with Saudi Arabian lunatic royals. They like to cause tensions in the Caucasus region and destabilize Russia as a whole. We don't need such allies.

[AllegroTroppo]

06:19 PM on 02/19/2012

There's one American dude who been leaning too heavily on Putinka.

[BatChanah]

01:51 PM on 02/19/2012

Another thing, Mad dog Jihad (Iran president) is the most fanatic, as a shi'ite he believes the Madhi (Madhi: Shi'ite Messiah) will soon come to rule the Earth for 7 years, but before that can happen, a catastrophy must shake the earth, Mad dog Jihad is willing to bring on this catastrophy himself, perhaps in the form of a nuclear bomb, that would kill quite a few people! and he believes the Madhi will then arrive to bring peace to a dying world...but why 7 years?? looks gloomy! (see, I have read my bible)

[viper1ex19]

02:44 PM on 02/19/2012

I believe there will be a catastrophy and it "WILL" be man made. We're seeing the beginning of it each day.

Our World Powers are out of control and the people have no say so over whats being done.

The evil with money rule the earth and they will destroy the earth, all in the name of greed and power.

[Vlad Roudenko]

04:49 PM on 02/19/2012

I think that it is the Israelis and the US who want to attack Iran and perhaps use nuclear weapons. Iran is not the one who is being confrontational. The concept of Mahdi is not confined to Shia Islam. It is a concept that is found in Islam as a whole. The New Testament and the book of Revelation has been constantly edited. The way that it presents the end of the world is that the antichrist will bring in 7 years of peace and make a peace agreement with Israel. What a bunch of nonsense this is. Try reading the Quran and what it says about the times we are in now. Iran is not the one you should be concerned about.

[BatChanah]

01:38 PM on 02/19/2012

The Muslims can and WILL lie to the Infidel, (non Muslim) their end goals is to form a Caliphate world wide, their Charter calls for the total control of planet Earth. They are the best at propaganda, they learned that from Groebel, the chef propagandist of WWII, after all, they worked together during the last world wide war, the mufti of Jerusalem at the time Hussein, was the uncle of Arafat, an Egyptian, who worked closely with Hitler for the extermination of the Jewish race. Arafat took off where his uncle left off, and later had his own charter, calling for the destruction of every Jew, woman and children included, The oslo accord was a trojan horse, more land for peace. Muslim goal is simple, they have learned over the centuries that violence doesn't always achieve it's intented goal, so the Egyptian Muslim brotherhood decided that infiltration could have much better effect, infiltrate the Government, in small town push for Sharia law, the constitution and the Sharia law conflict with each other, even if they become naturalized Citizens, they will NOT uphold our constitution, Sharia law trump every other law, they have no separation of Church and State, Sharia law is above every laws! they are chef operators! I fear them much more than I fear any christian!! how many people, true Christianity has killed? ZERO!! Catholism is a Religion! Religion and relationship are two different things with different goals!!

[hertamania]

02:34 PM on 02/19/2012

I wonder why the Libs in the US like the muslim so much but hate christians? If the muslims succed in the takeover as you say then there will be not seperation of church and state as you mention. This is a call for all libs to take up arms against the muslims.

[pscottparker1]

05:00 PM on 02/19/2012

The libs love Islam because it is promoted by the media. It is vogue and cool to call Islam peaceful despite the abundance of non-stop violence in the name of Islam. "Hey, most Muslims are peaceful" they parrot. That is factual, anyway, albeit probably irrelevant. I have said many times on this network how twisted I believe the Islamic theology is. The Koran contends that Christ was NOT crucified but rather a look-a-like was in his place. In the same breath, they describe Christ as a prophet...HELLO??? A guy who supposedly lets some other poor soul get crucified in his place is a prophet? Twisted. Of course, Christ WAS crucified. There are religious and secular sources that strongly confirm this account and show Islam and its followers to be full of hooey in this regard. Anyway, I love Muslims (per my Christian dictum to do so) but loathe and disdain Islam. The two positions are perfectly compatible albeit not from a Muslim's perspective, however (they see themselves as one in the same with Islam; not separable...)..

[glockenspiel323]

08:54 PM on 02/19/2012

hert - so you wonder why the libs like muslims?????????
Then you call for libs to take up arms against muslims???
????????????????????????????????????????????????

[Vlad Roudenko]

04:57 PM on 02/19/2012

Infidel is not what you think it is. It is not a non Muslim. It is one who does not believe in God. This certainly does not apply to Jews and Christians. Do the Christians not try to control the whole world? The last time I read the Bible some were calling to spread Christianity all over the world. More often than not it was spread with a sword and a rifle. Your rant regarding the mufti of Jerusalem and Hitler and destruction of the Jews is pure nonsense. Your understanding of Shari'ah is laughable. The concept of separation of church and state is ridiculous. There is no church in Islam. The Western world does not abide by this concept either. Look at UK. The monarch is the head of the church. Germany collects a church tax to support the operations of Catholic and Protestant church. The Vatican is a purely religious state. George Bush claimed that the US is a Christian nation. The government actively sponsors church activity. Look at the candidates of the previous elections in the US. So many lunatics who want to change the laws of the US to be in line with the Bible. Christianity does not kill? Tell that to millions who have been killed by crusaders and colonizers all over the world. Some Blackwater operatives and active duty US servicemen see themselves as "Christian" warriors when they kill Muslims.

[socalflash]

12:32 PM on 02/19/2012

002.193 (Quran / Koran) (3 interpretations of one of their peaceful scriptures)

YUSUF ALI: And fight them on until there is no more Tumult or oppression, and
there prevail justice and faith in Allah; but if they cease, Let there be no
hostility except to those who practise oppression.
PICKTHAL: And fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for
Allah. But if they desist, then let there be no hostility except against
wrong-doers.
SHAKIR: And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should
be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility except
against the oppressors.

(oppressors means disbelievers or unbelievers - non-muslims)

[Doug Sandlin]

01:46 PM on 02/19/2012

That's not accurate.

"Oppressors" means actual oppressors --- the members of Muhammad's original tribe from Mecca who were trying to exterminate him and all his followers.

Maybe read a mainstream history of Islam - context helps a lot.

[socalflash]

02:07 PM on 02/19/2012

I trust the text of the Koran to be a more accurate reflection of Muslim beliefs than I do someone's interpretation in a mainstream historical writing.

Look at the differing mainstream historical writings regarding the intent of our U.S. Constitution, for example. I would rather read the Constitution and decide for myself what it means. Most historians have an agenda and are not to be trusted.

I also realize the Koran is not presented in exact chronological order and there are confiicting scriptures...which some believe are abrogated by later scriptures. Others claim they are not abrogated but instead are "substituted". Same difference.

In general the more peaceful scriptures are older and the more violent scriptures are newer in the Koran...the exact opposite of the Bible.

I'm not a theologian or expert on any religion, but that is my opinion based on what I have read and by watching the behavior of devout Muslims worldwide.

I also believe most Muslims are peaceful, but that does not lessen the concern or danger regarding the Muslims that are not peaceful. That is what we need to focus on and protect against.

imo

[hertamania]

02:35 PM on 02/19/2012

Another lib standing up for the muslim terrorist. What's up with these people

[gebar3]

12:26 PM on 02/19/2012

If what at least one is saying, the Islamist coming to America are highly educated and trained. I would be very afraid of the "highly trained" new comers as they will blend into the capalistic society of America, and when the time comes, they can control all that they are now "peacefuly" work at. Engineers can use their working knowledge to down the electric grid, poison the water supply, dump all computor storage of financial records, jam radio signals to prevent law enforcement and military to react, etc. What better way to destroy a country then to work at its inside to find out just how it works. And if the true Muslims here demand to be able to practice their religion without any interference of our laws, then why are the female Muslims allowed to attend school, work, and drive here in the US but refuse to not wear the head gear ? Only what benefits them !

[irishkids1234]

12:57 PM on 02/19/2012

They present a real threat because of the fools who allow "political correctness" to give these infidels (muslims) the leverage to use our laws, meant for men of honor, against us.

[Doug Sandlin]

01:47 PM on 02/19/2012

Why would you think that peaceful prosperous Muslims would engage in terrorism like that?

[gebar3]

02:41 PM on 02/19/2012

Do you remember the COWARDS who crashed the planes on 9/11 ? They were "peaceful, drinking buddies, and liked the ladies at the clubs". Fit right in, peaceful style. Then the order came and Muslim peace went into action.

[djpgriffin]

03:34 PM on 02/19/2012

I would like you to enlighten us as to which is which!

[sgentilejr]

12:03 PM on 02/19/2012

I know there are many slow learners here in the USA, but do you understand yet that Saddam Hussein did what he had to do to maintain peace___ and control over the Islamic fanatical Shiites and Kurds?
Look at Iraq now today. Without the Iron Fist leadership of Saddam___Iraq has regressed backwards into a primitive society ruled under Shia Laws.
They even changed the name of the country from the 'Republic of Iraq' to it new name now of The 'Islamic' Republic of Iraq.
Former US Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan all fully backed and supported Saddam simply because there was no better possible ruler there than Saddam who was a MODERN DAY Arab/Muslim and refused to rule by Shia Law and he ever refused to allow them to pray in the streets.