Groveling in Grozny? Part I. Out of Afghanistan

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Dec 17, 2001

As coalition forces bombard the caves of Afghanistan in an effort to "smoke out" the last loyal Al-Qaeda forces, the chance exists that Bin-Laden & Co. may be far from that rugged terrain. If they are not in the mountain caves, where are they? Perhaps they are leading the mercenary Islamic brigades in Tajekistan or perhaps they are in some secluded fortified part of the Chechen Caucasus Mountains.

The Eurasian steppe and trans-Caucasia have been under Russian control and influence since at least the eighteenth century. The main purpose of the occupation was to secure the region against British imperialism in the Trucial States, Afghanistan, and Iran. Although Russia won that round of the Great Game, the victory caused much angst among local Islamic leaders. Russia held formal authority, but these regions developed administrative methods with Russian oversight. Like many territories Russia controlled after the first world war, the Eurasian and trans-Caucasian districts won independence but were soon restored to the Soviet realm. A strong sense of distrust lingered; many trans-Caucasians were forcibly deported to Siberia and to remote parts of the steppeland.

The 15 May 1992 ratification of the Tashkent Accord revived much of this ancient bitterness. The Tashkent Accord was intended as a first step in the process to create a regional collective security arrangement with Russia designated as the most important keeper of the peace. Any state wanting to join the newly established Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) had to accept the terms of the Tashkent Accord. The ulterior motive of the pact was soon revealed.

On 22 May 1992 Russian Defense Minister Pavel Grachev announced he would "not allow the honor and dignity of Russians to be insulted on the territory of any state" and "we shall suppress any armed attacks on military facilities in the most decisive way right up to shooting to kill". Less than two months later two infantry brigades were dispatched to Tajekistan to support the Marxist government against the Afghanistan-funded Islamic coalition that closely resembled the Taleban. This created the situation of a democratizing state supporting a Marxist government in a war against a traditional rival. That meant Russia and Afghanistan were de facto at war on Tajek territory.

The conflict quickly reached stalemate and resembled Russia's ten year strugle with Afghanistan in Afghanistan. Russian soldiers in Tajekistan still defend the rights of Russians, secure the safe return for Tajek refugees who fled to Afghanistan, and endeavor to support the unstable Tajek government. In reply to the question: "Why are you here?", one Russian officer told a BBC journalist in 1994 that the Tajek people had been Russian subjects since the 1689 Treaty of Nirshensk, and they would soon again be Russian subjects.

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