Chechnya's separatists have received money, men, training and ideological inspiration from international Islamic organizations, but they remain an indigenous and largely self-sustaining force motivated by nationalist more than Islamic goals, Russian and international officials and experts say.
The flow of financing from Islamic groups that supported Chechnya's separatist movement has slowed from its peak in the late 1990's, Sergei N. Ignatchenko, chief spokesman for Russia's Federal Security Service said in an interview on Friday. And yet Chechnya's separatists have recently managed to carry out the most devastating attacks against Russia in years, killing nearly 600 people since late June alone.
Post a Comment