When I wrote my first two novels, Chechen terrorism consisted largely of attacks of Russian military, security, and political officials. Then came al-Qaeda, training and recruiting Chechens Islamists to wage jihad against western targets. In more recent years, Chechens have joined ISIS in Syria by the thousands.
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ONE OF THE most heavily discussed groupings of foreign fighters in Syria are those from Chechnya and the North Caucasus. Coming from a region embroiled in two decades of insurgency against the Russian army, these fighters have long been highly touted for their experience and skill. While ultimately small in number, they have played an outsized role in the conflict, participating in major jihadist offensives in the country for half a decade.
Chechen and North Caucasian militants began arriving in Syria at roughly the same time as other foreign fighters. As the conflict intensified in mid-2012, shifting to conventional warfare between regime and rebel forces, so too did the strength of radical groups and the appeal of Syria as the new frontline of jihad.
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From Islamist “freedom fighters” in a remote Russian Republic, to the streets of Boston, and on to Syria, Chechen terrorists have left a bloody trail of destruction around the world.
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