Accession Number:

AD1046321

Title:

Chechen Female Suicide Terrorism

Descriptive Note:

Technical Report

Corporate Author:

Naval Postgraduate School Monterey United States

Personal Author(s):

• Crawford,Zane K.

Report Date:

2017-06-01

Pagination or Media Count:

77.0

Abstract:

The protracted conflict between Chechnya and Russia ultimately led ethnic Chechen separatists to ally with Islamic jihadists at the turn of the 20th century. This thesis focuses on one product of this alliance the emergence of female suicide terrorism FST in the first 19941996 and second 19992009 Chechen wars. Previously, the use of FST as a tactic had been confined to secular groups. In this thesis, factors that precipitated the rise of FST in Chechnya are explored. Despite the eventual alliance of Chechen separatists with Islamists, this thesis finds the factors that specifically apply to female suicide terrorism to be primarily secular. By identifying contributing factors in the Chechen case, this research provides a framework to identify conflicts in which a popular movements tactics may escalate to terrorism and the employment of FST.

Descriptors:

• Russia
• females
• terrorism
• terrorists
• history
• government (foreign)
• ETHNIC GROUPS
• sectarian violence
• history

Subject Categories:

• Unconventional Warfare

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE