Chechen terrorists bicker over money

Different groupings of Chechen terrorists are haggling over cash flows from abroad.

According to Russian intelligence services, the most bitter clashes are between Basayev's militants and the grouping of Maskhadov (who was liquidated by Russia FSB Spetsnaz troops on March 8, 2005), Ilya Shabalkin, a spokesman of the regional headquarters for the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

Basayev, he said, has been making attempts recently to subordinate to himself Maskhadov's representatives controlling his cash channels.

Basayev's aim is to establish personal control over the entire funding of bandit groups. But he is meeting with sharp resistance on the part of Maskhadovites.

Shabalkin said that conflicts between militants' representatives abroad are telling on the situation in the "bandit underground" in Chechnya.

Bandits who used to be subordinated to Maskhadov are refusing to serve under Basayev and are trying to side with the self-proclaimed "president" of so-called Ichkeria - Saidulayev.

According to the headquarters, some of them intend to stop their criminal activity and leave Chechnya. But rank-and-file militants are in no position to do so for lack of money.

Moreover, they, by recognizing neither Basayev nor Saidulayev, may draw on themselves acts of revenge for factually distancing themselves from fighting in illegal armed formations. In this situation many of the militants prefer to give themselves up,

Thus, intelligence reports received at the headquarters say that the warlord of the band operating in the environs of the village of Tsotsin-Yurt, of Kurchaloi district, is refusing to take part in fighting against federal forces and considers the possibility of self-reporting to law enforcement bodies.

Besides, old unresolved conflicts are also leaving their mark on relations inside the bandit milieu. In particular, in the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia conflicts are reported between leaders claiming leadership in the bandit underground.

Law enforcement bodies have information that as a result of such conflicts there were armed brushes between militants from different bands.

The headquarters also drew attention to events recently related by citizens of mainly Chechen nationality who traveled to Middle East and South East Asia countries to meet their relatives or on business.

Most of them point to noticeable differences among the ideologists of illegal armed formations and their sympathizers. On the one hand, there are functionaries of extremist organizations supporting the formations in Chechnya and oriented towards Basayev. On the other, there are those who earlier came out in support of Maskhadov.