Smootches..................FRegards
Posted on 02/14/2004 8:36:12 PM PST by Destro
RUSSIA: KGB (oops, FSB) Denies Whacking the Bagman
February 14, 2004: Former (1996-97) president of independent (after a short war with Russia) Chechnya Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev was assassinated by a car bomb in Qatar. Yandarbiyev has been living in exile in Qatar for the last three years and is accused by Russia of running part of the overseas fund raising network that funded the Chechen resistance in Chechnya. The FSB (the post-Cold War name of the old KGB) said, interestingly, that it was not responsible and had not done that sort of thing since 1959. Nothing was heard from the GRU (military intelligence, which has not changed its name), which has some of it's elite commando forces in Chechnya and is known to practice assassination. A third suspect is other Chechens, who had disagreements with Yandarbiyev over how the money was being handled. It's not known if Yandarbiyev was just a bagman (making sure the donations from wealthy Arabs got delivered) or an active fund raiser.
February 13, 2004: As Chechen rebels have taken more casualties over the years, the role of foreign volunteers has grown. A 36 year old Saudi Arabian, Abu-al-Walid al-Ghamidi, is reported to be the leader of several hundred foreign (mainly Arab and Turkish) fighters operating in Chechnya. Al-Ghamidi is a conservative Moslem of the Wahhabi sect (as are most member of al Qaeda and most Saudis.) Al-Ghamidi was crucial in introducing suicide bombing to the Chechen war and is thought to be behind the last few major suicide bombing attacks. Al-Ghamidi and his men spend a lot of their time in bases across the border in Georgia. Russia has tense relations with Georgia because of that, and because several Soviet era Russian bases in Georgia are still operating. The Russians refuse Georgian requests to shut the bases and leave, and are not happy with the Georgian decision to accept military aid from the United States.
February 12, 2004: President Vladimir Putin has become very popular because of his strong rule and attempt to suppress corruption and crime. But Putin also plays to the Russian desire to get back the "Great Power" status Russia had when the Soviet Union existed. Putin knows that Russia has neither the military or economic power to get that status back. But his anti-corruption campaign has led to steady economic growth and he is pushing military reforms that would rebuild the military. A strong economy is necessary for a strong military, but Putin is pushing higher status for the now discredited military. Playing on the popularity of Russia's past glories, Putin has gotten laws past to provide more money for the military, a reintroduction of political officers (to go after corrupt practices for now) and an attempt to revive mandatory military training for male high school students.
Smootches..................FRegards
Happy V.D. to you too! I took my valentine out to her favorite restaurant for "Meekcheeken". Where'd yours take you?
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