Black Widow (Chechnya)

"Black Widows" redirects here. For other uses, see Black Widow (disambiguation).
Black Widow
Shahidka
Dates of operation 2000–present
Active region(s) Chechnya, Russia
Ideology Nationalist/Separatist, Religious
Major actions Numerous suicide attacks
Status Active
Size Unknown number of members
Annual revenue Unknown
Means of revenue Unknown

Black Widow (Russian: чёрная вдова, chyornaya vdova) or shahidka (Russian: шахидкаRussian feminine gender derivation from shahid), is a term for Islamist Chechen female suicide bombers, willing to be a manifestation of violent jihad.[1] They became known at the Moscow theater hostage crisis of October 2002.[2] The commander Shamil Basayev referred to the shahidkas as a part of force of his suicide bombers called the Riyad-us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs.[3] Basayev also stated that he himself trained at least fifty of the black widows.[3]

The term of "Black Widows" probably originates from the fact that many of these women are widows of men killed by the Russian forces in Chechnya. (The toxic connotation of black widow spider is intended.) In 2003, the Russian journalist Julia Jusik coined the phrase "Brides of Allah" (Невесты Аллаха) when she described the process by which Chechen women were recruited by Basayev and his associates;[4] the phrase was also used again after the Beslan attack, as the title of an installment of the Russian NTV programme Top Secret (Совершенно секретно).

Background and motives

There have been claims that many of the women have been sold by their parents to be used as shahidkas, others have been kidnapped or tricked.[5] She also claims that many have been prepared for the suicide by way of narcotics and rape. Several were pregnant at the time.[5] Independent journalists like Robert W. Kurz and Charles K. Bartles reject this view, stating that in most cases female Chechen suicide bombers do not fit this model.[3] Mostly they are given no training at all in preparation for the suicides as no weapon skill is needed to strap on the explosives.[5] Many do not even blow themselves up, but are blown up by remote control.[5][6][7] On the other hand, Besayev, as stated above, reported that the women are trained for their mission.[3] Michael Radu argued that these women are specifically trained for suicide attacks.[8] Additionally, some black widows have brothers or close relatives who were killed in one of the two Chechen wars between Russia and Islamist rebels since 1994 or in clashes with Russian-backed forces.[1] Kurz and Bartles offer another view of their motives, arguing that these women are much more motivated by revenge, despair, and their drive for an independent state than by religious fundamentalism or individual honor.[3]

Notable attacks

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Osborne, Andrew (29 March 2012). "Moscow bombing: who are the Black Widows". The Telegraph. Moscow. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  2. Elder, Miriam (29 March 2010). "Moscow bombings blamed on Chechnya's Black Widows". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kurz, Robert W.; Charles K. Bartles (2007). "Chechen suicide bombers" (PDF). Journal of Slavic Military Studies. Routledge. 20: 529–547. doi:10.1080/13518040701703070. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  4. Interview with Yulia Yuzik at RFE/RL
  5. 1 2 3 4 Julia Jusik: The brides Allahs. Suicide assassin inside from Chechnya
  6. (German) Sie explodierten per Fernzündung Archived 6 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine.
  7. "Allahs sorte enker" (in Norwegian). Kulturmeglerne. 29 March 2005. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007.
  8. Radu, Michael (November–December 2004). "Russia's Problem: The Chechens or Islamic Terrorists?". Society. 42: 10–11. doi:10.1007/bf02687293. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  9. "Black Widows". START. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  10. Nivat, Anne (2005). "The Black Widows: Chechen Women Join the Fight for Independence—and Allah". Studies in Conflict and Terrorism. 28 (5): 413–419. doi:10.1080/10576100500180394. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  11. "Moscow airport attack: timeline of attacks in Russia". The Telegraph. London, UK. 24 January 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  12. Sokovnin, Aleksey (9 April 2004). "Now we all are going to be blown up". Kommersant (in Russian). Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  13. Farniev, Zaur (23 December 2005). "Zarema, whom should we kill now?". Kommersant (in Russian). Retrieved 12 April 2009.
  14. 1 2 Faulconbridge, Guy (2 April 2012). "Russia says Moscow bomber was teenage "Black Widow"". Reuters. Moscow. Retrieved 30 April 2012.
  15. "Moscow hit by deadly suicide bombings". BBC. 29 March 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  16. Buribayev, Aydar; Nowak, David (30 March 2010). "Metro massacre brings terror back to Russian capital". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
  17. "Over 100 remain in hospital after Moscow airport blast". 24 January 2011. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
  18. "Dagestan 'black widow' bomber kills Russian police". BBC. 7 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  19. Roggio, Bill (29 August 2012). "'Black Widow' assassinates moderate Muslim cleric in Russia's Caucasus". Long War Journal. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  20. "Female suicide bomber injures 18 in southern Russia". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  21. "Volgograd bombs: Second blast kills 14 a day after first attack". The Australian. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 20 July 2015.

External links

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