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October 13, 2006

World: Two Islamist Terror Anniversaries

Yesterday, October 12, was the fourth anniversary of the Islamist bombings of Bali, while today saw the first anniversary of the invasion of Nalchik. Two totally different forms of attack, with differing mortality - 202 civilians died in Bali, while the majority of the deaths in Nalchik were of the Islamists themselves.

Bali, October 12, 2002

The bombings on Bali took place in Kuta, and were the work of Jemaah Islamiyah. The majority of the dead were tourists, including 88 Australians, 26 Britons, 7 Americans, 6 Germans, 5 Swedes, 4 French, 4 Dutch, 3 Danish, 3 from New Zealand, 3 Swiss, 2 Brazilian, 2 Canadian, 2 Japanese, 2 South African, 2 South Korean, with the rest being individuals from Ecuador, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal and Taiwan.

A year ago, the anniversary memorials were blighted by the knowledge that three more suicide bombers had detonated explosives on October 1, 11 days previously. Two bombs had gone off at Jimbaran beach, and another ripped through a restaurant in downtown Kuta.

While Australians tried to remember the event with some dignity, in services on Bali, in Sydney and Melbourne, the Hindu community on Bali was outraged that once again the tourist industry was suffering a new, fresh wound. The Kerbokan jail at Denpasar, where individuals convicted for their parts in the 2002 blasts, was stormed by a mob. The authorities had already moved the main plotters, including Amrozi, whose laughing at his trial had upset relatives of the dead. Amrozi had been transferred to Nusakambangan, an island prison, just off the southern coast of Java.

Yesterday, to mark the fourth anniversary of the Bali 2002 blasts, states the Telegraph and the Age, Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, unveiled a permanent memorial at the edge of St James' Park. A curved wall, inscribed with the names of the 202 victims, and a ball of marble engraved with 202 images of doves, were dedicated in front of a crowd of hundreds of relatives and friends of the dead. In a 30 minute ceremony, a wreath of poppies and white lilies were laid.

On Bali, Australians and Indonesians joined to remember at the Garuda Wisnu Kencana cultural center in Jimbaran, where a service was held. Security was tight, and a poem was read by eight-year old Alief, son of Imawan Sardjono, one of the Indonesians who died.

Alief read: "Four years ago, when I was four years old and my brother was three, I was just a little boy. But my Daddy went away. Now, no matter where I look for him, I only find a grave."

John Howard, the Australian prime minister, sent a message of condolence: "Today we remember with great sadness the 88 Australians and many Indonesians who were killed, and those injured in the 2002 bombings in Bali. On behalf of the Australian government and people I again offer them my deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the people of Indonesia and the many other nations affected by the attack."

Bill Farmer, ambassador to Indonesia, was present in person, and paid tribute to those who lost their lives. He said: "We gather here, four years on, to remember the victims of the bombings on Oct. 12, 2002, innocent people from Indonesia and from the near and far corners of the earth. We gather to extend condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died and to express our sorrowful recognition of the devastating effect on the lives of so many others."

There have been painful moments for the relatives this year. The "spiritual leader" of Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Bakar Bashir, who had given his consent to the 2002 bombings was released from Cipinang prison in East Jakarta on June 13, after less than two years in jail. Upon his release, he was surrounded by Islamist well-wishers, and soon was preaching his message of jihad, with no remorse for the events of 2002.

Within days, he was advising John Howard to "convert to Islam. If he wants to be saved from hell, he needs to convert to Islam and God willing, he will be forgiven by Allah." He said Australians should never fight Muslims because they would lose.

Though there was the consolation that Azahari bin Husin, who had plotted the Bali attacks in meticulous detail, had died last November, shot through the heart, Noordin Top is still free.

The three individuals sentenced to death for their part in the bomb plots - Amrozi 43, his brother Ali Ghufron, 46, alias Mukhlas, and Imam Samudra, 36, are still residing on Nusakambangan, awaiting their execution.

And on Bali, a Hindu priest said it is time to rebuild, stated AKI. Ida Pedanda Gede Arimbawa Tianyar Sebali said that the spirits of those who died were still there, "but they will understand". He said: "Life has to go on. It is our duty to live and to live we must work. It is time to rebuild in the area that has been left bare after the bombs."

For some on Bali, the site of the blasts is haunted by ghosts. A parking lot stands near where Paddy's Bar had been been blown apart. Here, parking attendant Agung Raka says of the spirits: "Sometimes they whisper but other times they scream....speaking in English. It's as if they are in a fire."

Nalchik, October 13, 2005


On October 13, 2005, a small army of 150 Islamists invaded the city of Nalchik in the Caucasus. The city is the regional capital of Kabardino-Balkaria. It has a population of 235,000, 90% of whom are Muslim. The attack was unannounced. The regional HQ buildings of the federal interior and security ministries were attacked, followed by the regional army recruitment center, the drugs-control office and the Interior ministry's anti-religious extremist department. A private armory had been attacked. Fierce fighting ensued between Islamists and security forces.

At first it was thought that the assailants were members of Jamaat Yarmuk, a group which had been active in the town in December 2004 and again at the start of 2005. A suspected suicide team were killed in a shootout on January 27. The leader of the group, Muslim Ataev had been killed. On October 13, 2005, it seemed his followers had regrouped.

Nalchik was sealed off by Vladimir Putin. Hostages had been taken by the Islamists at Number Three police station. A message appeared on a Chechen Islamist website. This claimed that the attackers of Nalchik were members of the Caucasian Front,an Islamist group with links to the Chechen conflict, based mainly in Dagestan.

By Ovtober 14, the uprising was over. Bodies of dead Islamists lay where they had fallen (pictured). Hostages had been released, and searches were carried out from street to street. Putin issued a "shoot to kill" order for anyone who refused to comply with searches.

The death toll was said to be 118 by then, with 91 Islamist fighters killed, and 17 civilians and security officials dead. 36 Islamists were under arrest. The true toll was higher, at nearly 140 in total, with 34 security officials and 12 civilians dead. Rights activists say the toll of Islamists is closer to 160 than the official figure of just over 90.

On October 18, Shamil Basayev, the Chechen warlord who had authorized the Beslan massacre, claimed responsibility for mounting the Nalchik attack.

The attack on Nalchik had achieved nothing for the Muslims living in the city, and far less for the Islamists who had made the attack. Shamil Basayev died in Ingushetia in July this year, his head ripped from his body in a bomb blast, caused by an associate who had been bribed by the Russian authorities.

The anniversary today has been a grim affair. Relatives of those slain by security forces had complained in the immediate aftermath of the attack that bodies had not been released for burial. There have been reports since December that suspected Islamists had been tortured by security officials. Even before the attack, Nalchik had been a city with no hope, a grey concrete utilitarian construct of the Soviet era, where the population lived in fear of both the Islamists and the Russian security forces.

Today, Mosnews, Radio Free Europe and Associated Press via the International Herald Tribune discuss the anniversary.

There has been no full investigation of the events of October 13, 2005. And today, to make matters worse, Itar-Tass reports that the probe into the Nalchik raid has been pushed further away, to April 13, 2007 by the Prosecutor General's Office in the North Caucasus.

The interior minister of Kabardino-Balkaria, Yuri Tomchak, had previously promised relatives of the dead that the investigation would be completed by February next year.

Relatives of 92 men killed in the attack are still pressing the Russian authorities to release their bodies. Muslims in the town say that since the events of last year, hundreds of members of the community have suffered from a crackdown led by the authorities. Mosques have been closed down in Nalchik and the surrounding villages, with some only open for Friday Juma prayers.

For the Muslim relatives who cannot receive bodies of their loved ones, there is no closure. Muslim belief dictates that a body must be buried as soon as possible after death. Resentments are held by many Muslims in the city.

Schools and streets have been renamed after the police officers who were killed in the attack, and a "heroes' cemetery" has been set up for these individuals. Their relatives have insisted that no dead rebels should be buried in this cemetery. With so few bodies handed back to families, such a situation is unlikely to happen soon.

3,000 people took part in a rally against terrorism today, organized by the government. From a population of 235,000, this is a small percentage of the population. For many Muslims, it seems they want closure, and do not want to be reminded of the events of last year.

Outside the prosecutor's office, about 50 relatives of dead Islamists held a silent rally.

300 young men have left their homes for unknown destinations, state rights advocates. Whether these are on the run or under arrest is not stated. There has been nothing to unite the people of Nalchik in a shared memorial today, and the anniversary only highlights the vast gulf which exists between the downtrodden citizens of Nalchik and the Russian authorities who view so many of them as potential terrorists.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at October 13, 2006 8:59 PM

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