Chechnya Terrorism

A: The U.S. Government supports Russia's territorial integrity and right to defend itself against terrorism. At the same time, we consistently press the Russian Government to end human rights abuses and to prosecute those found responsible. We remain committed to a cessation of violence by all parties and to finding a sustainable political solution to the conflict. The United States has contributed over $98 million dollars since fiscal year 2000 to meet the humanitarian needs of Chechens in Chechnya and the surrounding areas of the North Caucasus. We would welcome further constructive cooperation from Russia on resolving the tragic situation in Chechnya. ... [Read More]

(E) Eurasia Overview

Russia, China, and the United States were all involved in regional efforts to combat terrorism. In 2000, members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) discussed establishing a CIS-wide counterterrorism center in Bishkek, although past efforts have been unsuccessful. The heads of the CIS states security services put forward Gen. Boris Mylnikov, former First Deputy Director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) Department for Protecting the Constitutional Order and Combating Terrorism, to lead the potential CIS Counter-terrorism Center, and on 1 December the CIS heads of state agreed on funding for the organization, half of which will be provided by Russia. The center began operations in December 2000 and reportedly has been tasked by the CIS to maintain a database of information on terrorism. ... [Read More]

G - Eurasia Overview

Enhancing regional counterterrorism cooperation has been a priority for the United States. Toward that end, the US Department of State's Coordinator for Counterterrorism hosted the Fourth Annual Counterterrorism Conference for Central Asia and the Caucasus in Ankara in June 2002. Counterterrorism officials from Central Asia and the Caucasus, as well as observers from Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, China, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), discussed issues related to human rights, the rule of law, and combating terrorist financing. Throughout the conference, and in other bilateral and multilateral fora, the United States stressed that effective counterterrorism is impossible without respect for human rights, and that the rule of law is a formidable and essential weapon in the fight against al-Qaida and other international terrorist organizations. A policy exercise held on the last day of the conference helped reinforce key ... [Read More]

Chechnya and Bin Ladin Ties (Taken Question)

ANSWER: Yes. As the department said in the "Patterns of Global Terrorism" Report (April 2000, page 31), Bin Ladin's Al-Qaida Organization has sent trainers to various parts of the world, including Chechnya.  ... [Read More]

Progress Report on the Global War on Terrorism

STRENGTHENING AND SUSTAINING THE INTERNATIONAL FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM Global Efforts to Fight Terrorism Regional Efforts to Fight Terrorism Diminishing Underlying Conditions Terrorists Exploit ...

These laws, combined with the redirection of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) into an agency focused on preventing terrorism and the redoubling of efforts at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve the nation's preparedness for identifying and responding to bioterrorism, have reorganized the institutions of the Federal government and provided significant resources in our arsenal to fight terrorism. To continue meeting the new threats of the 21st Century, the 2004 budget includes $41 billion to continue homeland efforts -- more than doubling 2002 funding. ... [Read More]

Eurasia Overview

Armenia was a full and active participant in the global Coalition against terrorism in 2003 and is in the process of strengthening its domestic antiterror legislation. Armenian officials, including the president, issued repeated statements condemning terrorism and supporting the United States and the global Coalition against terrorism. Armenia provides no support for international terrorism or for any international terrorist group and has made no statements in support of terrorism or of a terrorism supporting country. Armenia maintains diplomatic and economic relations with two countries on the US State Sponsors of Terrorism List -- Iran and Syria. Iran and Syria have large ethnic Armenian populations. ... [Read More]

US and Coalition 2001

December 19, 2001: Complying with a UN Security Council anti-terrorism resolution, the United States submitted a detailed report on its efforts to fight terrorism by cutting off financing to terrorist groups and their activities. The report was mandated by Resolution 1373, passed September 28, 2001. It requires nations, among other things, to criminalize terrorist activities, freeze the funds and financial assets of terrorists and their supporters, ban others from making funds available to terrorists, and deny safe haven to terrorists. Department of State Spokesman Richard Boucher said the report "shows a very broad effort that goes into legal, financial, military, [and] information in other areas. It shows a lot of the cooperation that we have established with countries around the world and…demonstrate[s] that we are making real advances on many fronts in the campaign against terrorism…." ... [Read More]

Terrorist Designation Under Executive Order 13224

The United States also underscores its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, a partner in the war on terrorism. We urge Russia to respect Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity while continuing to cooperate with Georgia and the United States on the issue of Chechen fighters and international terrorists in the Pankisi Gorge. ...

Executive Order 13224 blocks assets of these groups that are in the United States or held by U.S. persons, wherever located. Among other things, it further has the effect of prohibiting any U.S. persons from making or receiving any contribution of funds, goods, or services for the benefit of these groups. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) today added the names of these three groups to its website as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). Section 1(b) of the Order, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of State to designate foreign entities and individuals that he determines -- in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland Security -- to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. ... [Read More]

Narco-Terrorism: International Drug Trafficking and Terrorism -- A Dangerous Mix

Over the past year and a half, the war on terrorism has met with some stunning successes -- the liberation of Afghanistan from Taliban control, the break-up of terrorist cells in Singapore and the United Kingdom, and major arrests of terrorists in Greece. But as events in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Israel, and Chechnya tragically illustrated last week, the war on terrorism has not ended. In his speech at the Vinell Compound in Saudi Arabia, Secretary of State Powell said, "Notwithstanding ... the damage you see here today, it will not deter the United States ... in our ... effort to go after this kind of terrorism and roll it up: go after their finances; go after their information systems, their intelligence systems; make sure we take full advantage of our law enforcement assets." ... [Read More]