Terrorist act in Chechnya was directed at Akhmad Kadyrov?

The terrorist act committed near the villages of Belorechye and Ilaskhan-Yurt on Wednesday could be directed at Akhmad Kadyrov, the head of the Chechen administration, suggested Russian Minister for Chechen Affairs Stanislav Ilyasov.

"This is my personal opinion," the minister told the French-Russian Journalists' Association.

Pointing out that the several dozen victims of the two recent terrorist acts in Chechnya were civilians, Ilyasov ventured a supposition that international terrorists based in Chechnya are discontent with the peace process in the republic and wish to "intimidate the population and spread panic." Answering journalists' questions, the minister said that there are all evidence that it was international terrorist organizations that functioned in Chechnya.

Chechen terrorists "get very good financing from abroad, they are well-armed and well-equipped," recounted Ilyasov. "They are being financed by about a dozen organizations, including Al-Qaeda, Brother Muslims and others." He said it was regrettable that Georgia, a country many armed Chechen terrorists used as a shelter, was reluctant to conduct a joint anti-terrorist operation with Russia. Asked if the situation had changed after the arrival of the US military advisers to Georgia, the minister noted: "The problem remains. I think the US should not get into this, it is a Russian-Georgian affair. If Gelayev's gang landed in Alaska, it would be a different matter." Ilyasov urged journalists to "stop dodging" and start "giving an objective appraisal" of the processes taking place in Chechnya.