Historical Dictionary of Terrorism Third Edition

100 • CHECHNYAN TERRORISMmullah, Hasanbek Yakhyayev, was murdered by an Islamic militant.On 16 July 1998 Chechen security forces began fighting Wahhabifundamentalists in Gudermes, the second-largest city in Chechnya.Several terrorist acts appeared to have been aimed at sabotagingnegotiations between Russia and more moderate Chechen leaders.On 19 March 1999 a powerful bombing in Vladikavkaz, in the Ossetiaregion of Russia, killed 58 and injured 100. On 21 March 1999Chechen President Maskhadov survived a car-bomb assassinationattempt, reportedly the fifth attempt on his life, which apparently wascarried out by Chechen extremists. In fact, these attempts by extremiststo push the Chechen government in the direction of increasedIslamization were partly effective. At the same time that Russia hadabolished its death penalty to comply with European Union humanrights standards, Chechnya officially imposed death sentences forviolations of Islamic law and televised these executions.In August 1999, matters came to a head when the Chechen Wahhabiextremists, led by Basayev, provoked attacks in Daghestan inan attempt to create a “Russian-free zone” or corridor under Chechencontrol from Chechnya to the Caspian Sea. Unlike Chechnya, inwhich the Chechens are the predominant nationality, neighboringDaghestan has over 30 national groups, including non-Muslim minorities,few of whom had aspirations for greater autonomy fromRussia. Within three weeks Russian forces regained most of thedisputed Daghestani villages, and Basayev and his followers wereforced to withdraw to Chechnya. On 9 and 13 September 1999, twomajor bombings destroyed apartment complexes in Moscow, killingmore than 32 in the first attack and more than 76 in the second attack.In Volgodonsk, on 16 September 1999, another apartment-complexbombing killed 18. A total of five such bombings took place withinRussia during September 1999, killing 243 people and injuring 1,742others, for which credit was claimed by anonymous telephone callsstating that the bombings were in retaliation for Russian air strikes inthe Daghestan campaign. Some Russian sources alleged that Osamabin Laden had been involved not only in support for the ChechenWahhabis but also in backing the bombing campaign within Russia.Although several Russian émigrés later asserted that the Russiangovernment had itself carried out the Moscow and Volgodonskbombings, nonetheless the Russian Prosecutor-General’s office declaredthe investigation closed on 30 April 2003.