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Al-Qaeda lair in the Caucasus

Al-Qaeda lair in the Caucasus

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.
 


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