Tatarstan Terrorists Eliminated: Authorities Finally Getting Job Done

Volga Tatars (Tatarstan and the historical region of Idel-Ural; Ryazan Oblast, Tambov Oblast, Astrakhan Oblast Kazakistan and Central Asia) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

An anti-terrorist operation in a residential district of Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, has just been completed. Three terrorists have been killed as a result. Unfortunately, two FSB officers have also been killed in the sting, but no civilians have been harmed. It is also reported that the body of one of the dead criminals had a device resembling a “suicide bomber’s belt.” Explosives experts are currently examining the device.

According to the Investigative Committee, the special operation in Tatarstan became possible after the whereabouts of the suspects in a prior terrorist act became known. The terrotists killed in Kazan were behind the attempt to kill the mufti of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Tatarstan, and the killing of his deputy. When the republican FSB special forces attempted to detain the suspects, the terrorists resisted and detonated an explosive device, presumably a grenade. As a result the authorities have made the decision to launch an assault on the terrorsits’ apartment, located on the first floor of a building in Khimikov street in Kazan. All of the terrorists were destroyed.

We have already written that the terrorist underground is rapidly spreading through the Volga regions. We also wrote that the government is not always able to promptly and accurately respond to rather obvious signals of this movement. However, today’s special operation has demonstrated that intelligence services are carrying out investigative work ahead of the curve, because the “suicide bomber’s belt” found on the body of one of the terrorists was obviously assembled with ill intent.

We should note that very recently the Tatar mujahideen have posted a new message on the web, where the so-called forest brothers were urging their compatriots to join the armed jihad:

“Al-hamdu-Llyah, we, the Mujahideen, have taken this path to fight against the enemies of Islam. And these hypocrites who call themselves “traditional muslims” are the worst of creatures. They lay slander on Allah with their mouths, they are trying to distort the words of Allah,” the statement says. “And there is no such religion as “traditional Islam“, “moderate Islam” or “secular Islam.” It’s not even a sect or a derivative religious movement, it is pure deception and lies. The enemies of Islam have introduced heresy into the religion of Allah, and called it “traditional” to lead others astray from the true path of Allah … And those who do not follow them are labeled Wahhabis, and the Kafirs legitimize their persecution and murder …

They urge to obey the Kafirs, to obey their laws, to serve in their army … to celebrate holidays of the so-called Christians. They call Kafirs their leaders and call for obeisance to them …

When we learned that Faizov survived, we were a little upset. However, Al-hamdu-Llyah,  Allah has revealed to us how he eliminates his enemies. And we have seen how the key Kafir Putin arrives in Kazan and gives a medal to his faithful dog, who was ready to kneel and kiss the hands of his master.”

Around the same time Al Jazeera aired the message of a popular Islamic scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who criticized Russia for its support of Syria:

“Brothers, Moscow these days has turned into an enemy of Islam and Muslims. It has evolved into the biggest enemy of Islam and Muslims, because it is opposed to the Syrian people. Arab and Islamic world must stand united against Russia. We should boycott Russia – our enemy number one.”

All these facts fit neatly into the theory of internationalization of radical Islam and the opening of a new war front against Russia.

 

UPDATE: According to the FSB, the destroyed terrorists have been identified. Among them were members of the Mingaliev gang, along with their leader, Rais Mingaliev, who was on the federal and international wanted lists. It is suspected that the gang is behind many of the assassinations of spiritual leaders in Tatarstan. Mingaliev has previously called himself on video the Emir of the Mujahideen of Tatarstan, and took responsibility for the attacks. The police have later said that the terrorist apartment has been on watch for a long time. While trying to arrest the terrorists, one of them detonated an explosive device, injuring two officers of the FSB (one later died). The others were detained as a result of the assault. According to the FSB the terrorists were preparing a series of attacks against civilians during the upcoming holiday of Eid al-Adha.

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• Kazan Averts Terror Attack, Lands Suspects In Mufti Faizov Bombing and Valiulla Yakupov Assassination (therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com)
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More Terrorists Dead in Kazakhstan. We’re Headed for Troubled Waters.

 

Yesterday another band of terrorists was destroyed in Kazakhstan. On the same day, another man with an arsenal of explosives and ammunition was detained. Such cases have become so frequent in Kazakhstan that they are no longer seen as something extraordinary. Yet not so long ago reports of an emerging terrorist underground were seen as conspiracy theory nonsense. Let’s look at the situation one year after the wave of terror began in Kazakhstan.

Minus five

The Atyrau region yesterday was roiling with unrest. Law enforcement officials have discovered a band of terrorists in one of the apartment of a residential high-rise building. The area was cordoned off, residents evacuated, and the bandits were ordered to surrender. But the bandits responded with gun fire and detonated several explosives, injuring one special ops trooper. In the resulting assault five terrorists were killed and another wounded and taken to hospital.

Interestingly, detectives discovered this group while investigating another terrorist cell. A week earlier in Atyrau a Kazakh citizen blew himself up, having apparently mishandled an explosive device. Three more home made bombs were later found in his apartment. The dead man’s associates, discovered as a result of the investigation, let the police to the group which was subsequently destroyed yesterday.

Also yesterday, a resident of the Alma-Ata region was seized with a fully fledged military arsenal: three sticks of TNT, one RGD-5 hand grenade without a fuse, a fuse to the hand grenade, a fully loaded Makarov magazine, 153 rounds of 9mm cartridges and an EDP-1 electronic detonator.

News from the Front

The fact of the matter is that something terribly wrong is going on in Kazakhstan that even the blind can see. This is a partial list of recent high-profile incidents in Kazakhstan:

– August 17, 2012. Nine terrorists were killed in the course of a special operation near Alma-Ata;

– August 14, 2012. 11 people slaughtered in the Ile-Alatau National Park by unknown attackers;

– July 11, 2012. Self-explosion in Tuasamaly. Weapons and extremist literature were found on the scene. According to some reports the bomb was intended for Nazarbayev;

– May 31, 2012. Unidentified attackers shot 12 people from NATO-standard weapons on the border of  the Alma-Ata region;

– May 25, 2012. Police raided a resident of Ridder, seizing an arsenal of explosives and ammunition. On the same day another weapons cache was found;

– December 16, 2011. Oil workers strike in Zhanaozen. Unexpectedly stiff resistance from the police and the professional organization of the protest suggests participation of foreign coordinators;

– December 3, 2011. A band of 5 terrorists was destroyed in the Alma-Ata region in a special operation;

– November 12, 2011. Bandits made a real show of shooting grenade launchers, pursuing and killing  police officers in Taraz;

– November 8, 2011. In Alma-Ata gunmen attacked a patrol unit, killing two police officers;

– October 31, 2011. Two explosions in Atyrau, one of which was a suicide bombing.

Again, this is not a complete list of events. Most experts agree on the idea that the Kazakh secret services were unprepared for such a rapidly deteriorating situation. As a result the country is taking urgent steps to increase the powers of the National Security Committee (analogue of the Russian FSB, the Federal Security Service).

Me, worry?

That was the question asked by many of our Russian readers when the wave of terror began in Kazakhstan and, unfortunately, continue to ask now. Recall that Russia and Kazakhstan share the longest land border (7000 km), which in many areas is not controlled or monitored in any meaningful way. Destabilization of Kazakhstan will lead to a stream of refugees, drug traffic, terrorism and arms exports to Russia. Take a look at what is happening in Syria and its neighbors, and then compare the extent of their borders and ours. Get the picture?

Of course, this is the worst case scenario. But let us remember where destabilize began in Kazakhstan. It started with the adoption of a law on religion, which was condemned by the West as anti-democratic, and which caused various extremist groups to issue statements of jihad to the Kazakh authorities. In one such statement the band calling themselves Jund al-Khalifa, commented a series of explosions in Kazakhstan: “The two explosions were a warning to the government … if in the future we will not see that they listened to our requirements, we swear … that the next attack will bring rivers of blood. ”

President Nazarbayev himself at the time gave a very accurate description of what was happening: “The experience of recent years proves against and again that terrorism is a product of very particular forces having a very specific purpose. Historically, modern terrorism has its roots in political and economic issues. It is strongly associated not only with transnational crime, drug trafficking and arms smuggling. Unfortunately, it also has geopolitical origins.”

So far, the situation in Kazakhstan is developing along a negative scenario and the trend is worsening. Ahead is the withdrawal of the international coalition forces from Afghanistan, with possible transfer of US military bases to other Central Asian republics, which will lead to the spread of extremism across the region. In this situation, it would be logical for Russian anti-terrorism experts to provide maximum support to Kazakh law enforcement forces, and indeed, this is taking place. However, Russia has its own set of problems with two carefully fueled regions – Dagestan and Tatarstan. This means that all of us are in for some very unsettling times.

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