April 24, 2014 | Quote
Chechen Jihadists Pose Threat 1 Year After Boston Bombings
As the nation commemorates the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013, there is increasing concern that the threat posed by the Islamic militants from the Caucasus Emirates isn’t limited to Russia but may include the U.S. homeland.
The two Boston bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his younger brother, Dzhokhar, were from the Russian region of Dagestan in the North Caucasus. The older brother was involved with Islamic militant groups from the Caucasus affiliated with the Islamic Caucasus Emirate.
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Terrorism expert Bill Roggio of Long War Journal points out that some of the Saudi Arabian hijackers initially wanted to fight in Chechnya.
“The IK has adopted al Qaida’s tactics, including the use of suicide bombers in attacks against civilians,” Roggio said.
“The terrorist threat against the U.S. can come from any part of al Qaida’s international network,” Roggio said. “The IK is integrated with this network.”
He said that the integration of the al-Qaida network can best be seen today in Syria, where multiple IK commanders and other affiliated fighters have joined the insurgency against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
“The prevalence of IK fighters and leaders on the Syrian battlefield has serious, long-term ramifications for the global jihad,” Roggio said. “IK members are interacting with and sharing their tactical skills with Westerners and others.”