I forgot to mention that Saddam Hussein was training Chechens in training camps in Iraq and also the Chechens were allied with Ghaddafi in Libya. We have no filter to keep these terrorists out of the country. We were taking anyone who was anti-Soviet union, as if the cold war was still a factor.
Thanks for the additional info. Your first post mentions Bodansky; his book on Bin Laden has a little info on Al Qaeda activity in Chechnya. In my edition from 2001, pages 385-386, he expresses concern about Chechnya becoming a future Al Qaeda haven, saying that despite assurances from Chechnya’s president and the Supreme Islamic Council in the United States, “the buildup of Islamist terrorist forces in Chechnya, including Arab, Afghan, and Pakistani mujahideen supported by bin Laden, has continued unabated.” He describes Al Qaeda’s goal as using Afghanistan and Chechnya as springboards to force governments in the Muslim world to turn from alliances with U.S. interests towards closer ties to West European and East Asian companies, thereby weakening American influence in the region. He describes Iran and Pakistan as supporting Al Qaeda in pursuing this goal.