Author: Fred Weir
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: February 26, 2002
The next flashpoint in the global
war on terrorism could be the rugged and remote Pankisi Gorge, a lawless
district in the Caucasus nation of Georgia that abuts on rebel Chechnya,
where both American and Russian officials say Al-Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan
- possibly even Osama bin Laden - have taken refuge.
Some experts say Moscow is so concerned
about the growing terror threat on its border that it is preparing to attack
the region within a matter of weeks, whether or not Georgia and the United
States agree.
The Pankisi Gorge, which is home
to about 7,000 Chechen refugees and is run by heavily-armed Chechen rebels,
has long been described as a "terrorist hotbed" by the Kremlin.
Georgia has proven too weak to extend
government control over much of its ethnically-diverse, mountainous territory.
The American charge d'affaires in
Georgia recently confirmed Russia's claims, telling a local newspaper that
US intelligence has documented the presence of Taliban and Al-Qaeda leaders
in the Pankisi Gorge.