Charlie Hebdo Terrorism - Cui bono

Terrorists serve broader political aims than just their own stated goals.  Consequently it is hard to tell always who is behind them with money, logistics, training, advice etc.  Several articles showed up in my news feed since the massacre in Paris (surprise surprise) that I had not thought about before.

Of course the Russian media is already blaming the CIA for the murders to drive France and Europe in the saving arms of America.  And naturally, Paul Craig Roberts agrees with Russian media but he is certifiable. 

The involvement of the CIA with funding and training various terrorist groups is reasonably well known, which is why it is so easy to suspect them of being behind every terrorist organization or act in the world. but I had not thought about the KGB/FSB in the same light.

According to Pavel Gubarov, "Governor" of the Donetsk People's Republic, he has recorded proof of Putin's Chechen Warlord Ramzan Kadyrov bragging to some of the Russian terrorist fighters that he had hired two Algerians to make trouble in Paris in revenge for French sanctions and the cancellation of the Mistral warship contract. He does not approve of this kind of terrorism and is willing to cooperate with what he knows.

In the same article Ukrainian Rada Deputy Ihor Mosiychuk is quoted as saying Kadyrov had threatened France before and "when the Caucasus Mujahideen open a second front against the tyrant of the Kremlin, his vassal Kadyrov is trying at all costs to paint the Caucasian rebels as Islamist terrorists".

Ex-deputy of the State Duma, Chairman of the "Western choice" Konstantin Borovoy is quoted as believing that the terrorist attacks in Paris is another special operation of the Kremlin in order to radicalize the situation in France and Europe to help the right-wing nationalists.

"Terrorist attack in Paris - it's certainly an attempt to radicalize the situation in Europe to help the right-wing nationalists and avenge France for refusing to supply the Russian military helicopters "Mistral". But the main reason is still to cause substantial damage to stability in Europe. Putin wanted to prove to himself that he can affect the international political situation. After all, today he remains in isolation and is opposed by all the European Community. And he is very dangerous.

The ultra-nationalist political party "National Front", led by Marine Le Pen, won 20% of the votes in the parliamentary elections of 2012 and more than 25% of the vote in last year's elections to the European Parliament. The party is in receipt of a multi-million dollar loan from a Russian controlled bank with ties to the Kremlin.  As the money is a loan, it is not taxable in France.

Then we can assume another goal - an attempt, at least temporarily divert attention from the war in Ukraine".

Akhmed Zakayev, Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, in exile in London has written to the President of France regarding the need ofRussia to find a common enemy with the west, Islamic terrorists:

"There has been a very dramatic change in international politics last year. In connection with the occupation of the territory of  Ukraine Western countries have imposed economic sanctions against Russia. Today, Russia is on the brink of economic crisis, which, in turn, will inevitably lead to a political crisis. In this situation, in order to maintain the current criminal regime in Russia, the Russian special services must find a common enemy with the West, which will lead to the cancelling of sanctions against Russia - a country aggressor.  According to a plan of the Kremlin in the role of a common enemy would have to come out again "Islamic terrorists."

NATO has already said that Russia is a partner in fighting terrorism.

So who benefits from the terrorist incident?  Certainly the far right in Europe.  Certainly Russia.  Does America benefit?  Possibly but how is not as clear.

For further information on Russian involvement with Islamist terrorism, keep reading.

Business Insider describes the FSB and Al-Qaeda connection with Ayman al-Zawahiri who spent 6 months in the custody of Russian intelligence in the mid-1990s.  They then let him go, claiming later that they did not know who he was at the time of his arrest trying to enter Chechnya.

Shortly thereafter, he headed for Afghanistan to establish his fateful alliance with bin Laden, which was cemented in the mid-February 1998 announcement of a new partnership between the men and their organizations in a Global Islamic Front for Jihad against Jews and Crusaders. Thus was al-Qa’ida officially born and the path to 9/11 was established.......

There are many reasons to doubt the official story told by both sides in the affair. In the first place, Zawahiri was one of the world’s most wanted terrorists in 1996, having played a leading role in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981; the doctor’s role in the subsequent public trial was televised in many countries.

He was hardly a secret mujahid. Furthermore, it is difficult to believe that a security service as proficient and thorough as the FSB did not have its interest piqued by the appearance of three Arab mystery men, bearing multiple identities and cash, in the middle of a warzone.

It is equally difficult to accept that the FSB was unable to uncover the mysteries contained in Zawahiri’s laptop – as the Americans would do after many such laptops belonging to al-Qa’ida leadership were captured in Afghanistan after 9/11 – had the Russians really wanted to..... 

Might Moscow have suggested that it would look the other way about al-Qa’ida’s activities in Chechnya as long as bin Laden and Zawahiri left Russia alone otherwise? It surely appears significant that Zawahiri led bin Laden down the path of global jihad, and direct confrontation with the United States, after emerging from his half-year as a guest of the FSB.

As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made clear, a unipolar, American-led global system is not in Russia’s interests. To this day, Russia has endured many attacks by Chechen militants, but no confirmed acts of terrorism perpetrated by al-Qa’ida Central. This vexing issue continues to offer more questions than answers, and needs additional research, particularly considering the state of relations between Moscow and the West.

An article from the Lithuanian DEPHI which is part 2 of a series looking at Russian links with terrorism.  It is long and not particularly easy to read but very detailed in terms of names dates and places.  The meat of it is that originally the Chechen wars were about establishing an independent secular republic as had Armenia and Azerbaijan.  

However the current crop of anti-Russian fighters, in the North Caucuses are Wahhabi Islamists bent on establishing a Caucasian Emirate. They had been galvanized by the atrocities of the Second Chechen War and of Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin's warlord, charged with keeping Chechens under control. However Wahabism is being spread throughout the FSU by the Islamist Revival party which seems to have its roots in the KGB/FSB.

This has great benefits for Russia as it allows them to divide Muslims into two groups, the good ones who are moderate and do not upset the apple cart and the bad terrorists.  The author suggests that the terrorists are in fact cultivated as provocateurs by the FSB and therefore not trusted by the local populace.

A number of fighters from the North Caucuses have been recruited by ISIL in Syria including one Doka Umarev, leader of the Emirate, who was allegedly dead but turned up in Syria, transferred by the Kremlin to fight AGAINST their ally Assad.  Russia needs to hang on to Syria and Assad as their last foothold in the Middle East, so by strengthening ISIL in opposition, they can muddy the waters.

‘The basic difference between Russia’s and America’s attitude towards Islamic terrorist is that America regards it as an external threat, while Russia employs terrorism as an object and government tool both internally and abroad. Islamic terrorism is only a part of international terrorism. KGB was using terrorism to spread communist regime principles all over the world, and it was well before Islamic terrorism became a global threat.‘