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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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