Suicide bomber strikes again in southern Russia

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Aftermath of the suicide attack on a bus in Volgograd. Image from RIA Novosti.

The southern Russian city of Volgograd has suffered its second suicide attack targeting public transportation in two days. Yesterday’s blast took place at the city’s train station, and today, a suicide bomber destroyed a trolley in the city. Both attacks are likely to have been carried out by the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, an al Qaeda-allied group whose leader has ordered his fighters to attack the 2014 Winter Olympics in nearby Sochi.

Today’s suicide attack was designed to maximize casualties; the blast took place on a trolley at around 8 a.m. local time, as residents were commuting to work. The suicide bomber, who is believed to be a male, detonated the “equivalent to at least 4 kg TNT” on the crowded trolley, ITAR-TASS reported.

The blast demolished the trolley, peeling off the roof and sides. Reports indicate that at least 15 people were killed and 27 more were wounded; some of the wounded are in critical condition.

Today’s terrorist attack took place just one day after a female suicide bomber, or Black Widow, killed 17 people and wounded dozens more in a suicide attack at the main train station in Volgograd. Yesterday’s attack is thought to have been carried out by a woman who had been married to known jihadists from the Islamic Caucasus Emirate.

While no group has claimed credit for the last two attacks, they were most certainly carried out by the Islamic Caucasus Emirate, which seeks to establish an Islamic state in southern Russia. The Islamic Caucasus Emirate claims that Volgograd “is located in the northern part of the Islamic state of the Caucasus Emirate,” according to Kavkaz Center, which distributes propaganda for the terror group.

The Islamic Caucasus Emirate is the only group operating in southern Russia known to use suicide bombers, and its Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade has trained females for suicide missions. The terror group has announced that it seeks to disrupt the 2014 Winter Olympics slated for February in Sochi.

In July this year, Islamic Caucasus Emirate leader Doku Umarov issued a statement calling for further attacks aimed at disrupting Russia’s plans for the Winter Olympics in Sochi, according to Kavkaz Center. He stated: “We know that on the bones of our ancestors, on the bones of many, many Muslims who died and are buried on our territory along the Black Sea, today they plan to stage the Olympic Games. We, as the Mujahedeen, must not allow this to happen by any means possible.”

In that statement, Umarov also declared that the Islamic Caucasus Emirate is allied with al Qaeda and other international terrorist groups.

“We are a part of the global jihad,” he said.

The Islamic Caucasus Emirate appears to be targeting public transportation in Volgograd in order to sow panic and deter visitors from traveling to the region for the Olympics. On Oct. 21, another Black Widow detonated explosives on a bus at a train station in Volgograd. That attack was carried out by a Dagestani woman named Naida Asiyalova. She was married to a jihadist who was wanted for executing bombings in the Caucasus. [See LWJ report, Suspected ‘Black Widow’ suicide bomber kills 6 in southern Russia.]

The blast on the bus today sparked panic in Volgograd and as far away as Moscow as rumors of other bombings circulated. In Volgograd, some commuters left buses and trains after rumors of other attacks in the city were reported on social media sites, according to RIA Novosti.

For more information on the Islamic Caucasus Emirate’s use of female suicide bombers in its operations in Russia, see LWJ report, ‘Black Widow’ suicide bomber strikes at Russian train station.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

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2 Comments

  • Matt says:

    They don’t usually kill foreigners, it is bad for their PR, I think they have made their point, some people will be deterred from going, they have shown the floor in Russian security. If they wanted to cause real trouble and chaos they could. But a lot of foreigners will die. It is what is unsaid between them and the authorities. I would not go to Russia, but it is not due to the Chechen threat, if you head there at the last minute when a lot of foreigners are in transit, should be cool.
    Brazil is the one to watch, if I was a terrorist I would be waiting for that one, it is perfect except for the illumination over the period of the event. A lot of terrorists are undertaking paragliding training and I think the flight over Gibraltar was a training exercise for something else.

  • EDDIED. says:

    Murderers that did their acts in a cowardly fashion is the way it needs to be reported. Seems like more and more murderers are committing more and more cowardly acts with AQ and the Taliban leading them with Syria and their supporters trying to catch up.

Iraq

Islamic state

Syria

Aqap

Al shabaab

Boko Haram

Isis