Attack on Russian diplomats in Iraq
Encyclopedia
The 2006 abduction of Russian diplomats in Iraq took place on June 3, 2006 in Baghdad
, Iraq
when Iraqi insurgents
ambushed a car belonging to the Russian Embassy.
Vitaly Titov, (a security guard), was killed in the attack and the other four people in the car – Fyodor Zaitsev (the embassy Third Secretary), Rinat Agliuglin (a cook), Oleg Fedoseyev (a security guard), and Anatoly Smirnov (a driver) – were abducted.
On June 19, 2006, the Mujahedeen Shura Council, a group affiliated with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack and issuing an ultimatum to Russia to withdraw from Chechnya
and release all Muslim prisoners within 48 hours. On June 25, the group issued a statement that it had beheaded three of the hostages and shot to death the fourth. The statement was accompanied by a video showing a few seconds of the beheading of one hostage, the beheaded corpse of a second hostage, and the shooting of a third.
On June 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin
ordered Russian security services to locate and kill those responsible for the kidnapping and execution of the diplomats. Nikolai Patrushev, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor organisation of the KGB
, noted that the order would be carried out regardless of the "time and effort" required.
A similar order was believed to have been issued against Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
, the one-time acting president
of the former Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
. Yandarbiyev was killed by a bomb in Doha
, Qatar
in February 2004.
However, Aleksandr Goltz, a Russian military
expert, questioned the ability of Russian intelligence agencies to carry out the assassination order in a country mired in civil war
.
One of the kidnappers of the Russian diplomats was captured in December 2006. He admitted his involvement in the incident, and is believed to have personally beheaded two of the diplomats. Another kidnapper was killed in October 2008. He is believed to have personally shot Rinat in the head. Another kidnapper was sentenced to death in May 2010.
The bodies of the four diplomats were never found.
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
when Iraqi insurgents
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
ambushed a car belonging to the Russian Embassy.
Vitaly Titov, (a security guard), was killed in the attack and the other four people in the car – Fyodor Zaitsev (the embassy Third Secretary), Rinat Agliuglin (a cook), Oleg Fedoseyev (a security guard), and Anatoly Smirnov (a driver) – were abducted.
On June 19, 2006, the Mujahedeen Shura Council, a group affiliated with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the attack and issuing an ultimatum to Russia to withdraw from Chechnya
Chechnya
The Chechen Republic , commonly referred to as Chechnya , also spelled Chechnia or Chechenia, sometimes referred to as Ichkeria , is a federal subject of Russia . It is located in the southeastern part of Europe in the Northern Caucasus mountains. The capital of the republic is the city of Grozny...
and release all Muslim prisoners within 48 hours. On June 25, the group issued a statement that it had beheaded three of the hostages and shot to death the fourth. The statement was accompanied by a video showing a few seconds of the beheading of one hostage, the beheaded corpse of a second hostage, and the shooting of a third.
On June 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
ordered Russian security services to locate and kill those responsible for the kidnapping and execution of the diplomats. Nikolai Patrushev, the head of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the successor organisation of the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, noted that the order would be carried out regardless of the "time and effort" required.
A similar order was believed to have been issued against Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
Zelimkhan Abdumuslimovich Yandarbiyev was a Chechen writer and a politician, who served as acting president of the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria between 1996 and 1997...
, the one-time acting president
Acting president
An Acting President is a person who temporarily fills the role of an organization's or country's president, either when the real president is unavailable or when the post is vacant .-See also:*Acting *Acting President of Pakistan*Acting President of Malta*Acting President of...
of the former Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
The Chechen Republic of Ichkeria is the unrecognized secessionist government of Chechnya. The republic was proclaimed in late 1991 by Dzokhar Dudayev, and fought two devastating wars between separatists and the Russian Federation which denounced secession...
. Yandarbiyev was killed by a bomb in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
in February 2004.
However, Aleksandr Goltz, a Russian military
Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are the military services of Russia, established after the break-up of the Soviet Union. On 7 May 1992 Boris Yeltsin signed a decree establishing the Russian Ministry of Defence and placing all Soviet Armed Forces troops on the territory of the RSFSR...
expert, questioned the ability of Russian intelligence agencies to carry out the assassination order in a country mired in civil war
Civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same nation state or republic, or, less commonly, between two countries created from a formerly-united nation state....
.
One of the kidnappers of the Russian diplomats was captured in December 2006. He admitted his involvement in the incident, and is believed to have personally beheaded two of the diplomats. Another kidnapper was killed in October 2008. He is believed to have personally shot Rinat in the head. Another kidnapper was sentenced to death in May 2010.
The bodies of the four diplomats were never found.