attacked a police post and then stormed a secondary building. This comes on the

heels of an attack last October when a suicide bomber killed five police officers and wounded

twelve others. Many news outlets have reported these attacks are being carried out by Islamic

militants. So, what exactly is going on in Chechnya?

Well first off, Chechnya is a predominantly Muslim republic under Russian control that

has

been at conflict with Russia for almost 200 years, including two recent wars between Russia

and Chechen separatists that left over a hundred and fifty thousand dead. The

Chechen separatist movement started as a secular nationalist movement but has since shifted

to a religious movement. While the First Chechen War in 1994 was largely a secular fight for

independence against Russia, the Second Chechen War in 1999 was sparked by Islamic

backed Chechen troops invading the neighboring Russian republic of Dagestan

in the hopes of establishing a new Islamic State.

By the Second Chechen War it was very clear that Chechen rebel groups were less

nationalist and more closely tied to the ideals of jihad and an Islamic State. This includes

reported visits of al-Qaeda leaders and soldiers to Chechnya and some Chechen rebels

traveling to Afghanistan to train with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. There have also been reports

that Osama bin laden helped “fuel the flames in Chechnya” with weapons and money.

From there, Chechen radicalism only grew. In 2002, terrorist actions by Islamist Chechen

rebels resulted in the deaths of 115 people when the group, led by Islamic militant leader

Shamil

Basayev, attacked a theatre. And in 2004 the same group also

took over a Russian school resulting in the deaths of at least 335 people, most of which

were

children.

Now, Chechen jihadist fighters are spreading out to fight in other countries including

Iraq

and Turkey. The Economist reports that close to a thousand Chechen militants traveled to

fight

with ISIS. In fact, one man, known as “Omar the Chechen,” has become the face of ISIS

and is

being looked at as one of the groups leaders in Syria. Although there are reports he has

been

killed.

The fear now is that these same ISIS fighters are returning home and bringing a new wave

of

violence to Chechnya. A new group has formed, calling themselves the Caucasus Emirate led

by a notorious Chechen jihadist leader. They are taking responsibility for the latest attacks,

as

well as two separate Moscow subway bombings, and numerous threats leading up to the 2014

Sochi Olympic Games. So now, not only are Chechen rebels fighting for an independent

state

against Russia, but also as part of a bigger, global jihad movement.

For more on the rise of ISIS and what’s being done to combat them, check out our playlist

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