2010 Tsentoroy Attack
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Tsentoroy Attack was an insurgent operation carried out on the morning of 29 August 2010 by Chechen
rebels in Tsentoroy (also known as Khosi-Yurt), Chechnya
, the home village and stronghold of pro-Moscow
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov
. The assault - which represented the largest and most audacious attack launched in the republic for over a year - is considered to have "shattered" the image of Kadyrov's unshakeable rule in Chechnya, as it was the first time in six years that his seemingly impregnable village had come under attack.
, three detachments totaling up to 60 militants (and featuring ten suicide bombers) led by Emirs Zaurbek, Makhran, and Abdurakhman - commanders directly subordinate to Aslambek Vadalov
- entered the village around 4:30 a.m. local time. The rebels overran two checkpoints and destroyed an armored personnel carrier before setting fire to ten of the homes of Kadyrov’s closest associates; they also seized ammunition and communications equipment. The militants were said to have employed the tactics of Afghanistan's
Taliban, with groups of guerrillas attacking an object and inflicting as much damage as possible with no intention of retreating; some reports claimed that the militants “practically captured” the village for several hours and that the government had to revert to using artillery and helicopters to drive them out. During the fighting the militants managed to send an SMS message to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s North Caucasus
service at 6:30 a.m. saying, “Tsentoroy is burning,” and television footage the following day showed a burnt-out car just 150 meters from the entrance to Kadyrov’s fortress-like residence, exhibiting just how deeply the brazen attack had penetrated the village.
The version of events presented by Kadyrov - who is known for highly dubious claims - was that his security forces had advance notice of the operation, permitted the fighters to enter the village and disperse, and then cornered them, killing 12 "devils." He also added that the only militants who managed to escape “were filming for a report to their sponsors, but we are confident they will be found.”. Russian officials stated that all twelve slain militants were wearing explosive vests
and that seven of those killed had detonated the vests and were thus unidentifiable; rebel sources in the village disputed this, citing unnamed residents of Tsentoroy who claimed that at least some of the dead identified as attackers were actually young men held in Kadyrov’s notorious private prison that were executed on his orders so as to increase the body count. Militant sources would add that the reason they were said to be “unidentifiable” was because it would have been clear that those dead were indeed long-held prisoners rather than members of the insurgent assault team, an allegation that one analyst stated was “entirely in keeping with what is known of [Kadyrov's] treatment of anyone suspected of abetting, or even sympathizing with the insurgency."
Chechen Interior Ministry sources would confirm that the insurgents entered the village and set fire to several homes, and a Chechen security official would also confirm that at least one of the fighters killed was from Zaurbek Avdorkhanov's group. Additionally, it was also reported that the rebels used weapons that were seized from the Ingush
Interior Ministry's armory during the Shamil Basayev
-led 2004 Nazran raid
; among the arms recovered at the scene were seven rocket launchers, three Kalashnikov
machine guns, nine Kalashnikov assault rifles, sixteen rounds for various types of grenade launchers, three hand grenades, 1,500 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, eight improvised explosive devices, and ten additional explosive devices.
An expert on the area speaking to the website "Caucasian Knot" called into question Kadyrov's estimate of the attacking force, noting that the number of fighters alleged by the Chechen President would be incapable of launching an attack on the village since "all approaches to Tsentoroy, not to mention the village, are completely controlled by law enforcement. To try and storm the town, where almost every citizen is armed or enlisted in various law enforcement agencies, appears very doubtful...it would be easier to attack a convoy of Kadyrov rather than committing suicide by attempting to break into a fortified town."
would investigate the attacks. On 2 September, Ramzan Kadyrov announced a reward of more than $300,000 for information about each of the insurgency leaders involved in the operation, which Chechen commentators interpreted as an indicator of the government's weakness. Kadyrov also tightened his control over information coming from Tsentoroy by not allowing any of the village's 5,000 inhabitants to leave in the days after the attack; the citizenry were also allegedly under the threat of death not to talk about the siege or the damage inflicted by the rebels.
The operation was also viewed as being impossible without the aid of informants in the circles close to Kadyrov, leading to "massive" interrogations in the village. Some on Kadyrov's side allegedly blamed the incident on Isa Yamadaev's return to Chechnya, thinking that he or some of his associates may have supplied critical information to the insurgents due to a long-running, deadly feud
between their two families; nothing has since emerged to tie Yamadaev to the assault in any way.
Most analysis of the attack saw it as a "very painful blow" against both Kadyrov and Moscow. Earlier in the month, a quartet of top insurgent field commanders - including Aslambek Vadalov - had renounced their oaths of allegiance to Caucasus Emirate
supreme leader Dokka Umarov in order to continue to fight for Chechen independence rather than a pan-Islamic state encompassing the entire North Caucasus; whereas many commentators expected this to weaken the insurgency, the Tsentoroy attack proved decisively that the Chechnya-based fighters were still a force to be reckoned with. Also in early August, Kadyrov made the outlandish claim that there were a "maximum [of] seventy" Islamist militants remaining in Chechnya; not only did the operation clearly refute that, but it also showed that the rebels still had strategists experienced enough to plan and coordinate a three-pronged attack as well as the types of mid-level commanders capable of carrying it out with minimal casualties.
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...
rebels in Tsentoroy (also known as Khosi-Yurt), 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...
, the home village and stronghold of pro-Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov is the President of Chechnya and a former Chechen rebel.Ramzan is a son of former Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov, assassinated in May 2004. In February 2007 Kadyrov replaced Alu Alkhanov as President, shortly after he had turned 30, which is the minimum age for the post...
. The assault - which represented the largest and most audacious attack launched in the republic for over a year - is considered to have "shattered" the image of Kadyrov's unshakeable rule in Chechnya, as it was the first time in six years that his seemingly impregnable village had come under attack.
Attack
According to the rebel website Kavkaz CenterKavkaz Center
The Kavkaz Center is a privately run website by pro-Chechen which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic" that "does not represent the viewpoint of any state structures"...
, three detachments totaling up to 60 militants (and featuring ten suicide bombers) led by Emirs Zaurbek, Makhran, and Abdurakhman - commanders directly subordinate to Aslambek Vadalov
Aslambek Vadalov
Aslambek Ilimsultanovich Vadalov , also known by his nom de guerre Emir Aslambek, is a Chechen rebel leader fighting in the North Caucasus. He was appointed the supreme leader of the Caucasus Emirate on 1 August 2010, though this was later retracted....
- entered the village around 4:30 a.m. local time. The rebels overran two checkpoints and destroyed an armored personnel carrier before setting fire to ten of the homes of Kadyrov’s closest associates; they also seized ammunition and communications equipment. The militants were said to have employed the tactics of Afghanistan's
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
Taliban, with groups of guerrillas attacking an object and inflicting as much damage as possible with no intention of retreating; some reports claimed that the militants “practically captured” the village for several hours and that the government had to revert to using artillery and helicopters to drive them out. During the fighting the militants managed to send an SMS message to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
service at 6:30 a.m. saying, “Tsentoroy is burning,” and television footage the following day showed a burnt-out car just 150 meters from the entrance to Kadyrov’s fortress-like residence, exhibiting just how deeply the brazen attack had penetrated the village.
The version of events presented by Kadyrov - who is known for highly dubious claims - was that his security forces had advance notice of the operation, permitted the fighters to enter the village and disperse, and then cornered them, killing 12 "devils." He also added that the only militants who managed to escape “were filming for a report to their sponsors, but we are confident they will be found.”. Russian officials stated that all twelve slain militants were wearing explosive vests
Explosive belt
An explosive belt is an improvised explosive device, a belt or a vest packed with explosives and armed with a detonator, worn by suicide bombers...
and that seven of those killed had detonated the vests and were thus unidentifiable; rebel sources in the village disputed this, citing unnamed residents of Tsentoroy who claimed that at least some of the dead identified as attackers were actually young men held in Kadyrov’s notorious private prison that were executed on his orders so as to increase the body count. Militant sources would add that the reason they were said to be “unidentifiable” was because it would have been clear that those dead were indeed long-held prisoners rather than members of the insurgent assault team, an allegation that one analyst stated was “entirely in keeping with what is known of [Kadyrov's] treatment of anyone suspected of abetting, or even sympathizing with the insurgency."
Chechen Interior Ministry sources would confirm that the insurgents entered the village and set fire to several homes, and a Chechen security official would also confirm that at least one of the fighters killed was from Zaurbek Avdorkhanov's group. Additionally, it was also reported that the rebels used weapons that were seized from the Ingush
Ingushetia
The Republic of Ingushetia is a federal subject of Russia , located in the North Caucasus region with its capital at Magas. In terms of area, the republic is the smallest of Russia's federal subjects except for the two federal cities, Moscow and Saint Petersburg...
Interior Ministry's armory during the Shamil Basayev
Shamil Basayev
Shamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
-led 2004 Nazran raid
2004 Nazran raid
The Nazran raid was a large-scale raid carried out in the Republic of Ingushetia, Russia, on the night of June 21-22, 2004, by a large number of mostly Chechen and Ingush militants led by the Chechen commander Shamil Basayev...
; among the arms recovered at the scene were seven rocket launchers, three Kalashnikov
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
machine guns, nine Kalashnikov assault rifles, sixteen rounds for various types of grenade launchers, three hand grenades, 1,500 rounds of ammunition of various calibers, eight improvised explosive devices, and ten additional explosive devices.
An expert on the area speaking to the website "Caucasian Knot" called into question Kadyrov's estimate of the attacking force, noting that the number of fighters alleged by the Chechen President would be incapable of launching an attack on the village since "all approaches to Tsentoroy, not to mention the village, are completely controlled by law enforcement. To try and storm the town, where almost every citizen is armed or enlisted in various law enforcement agencies, appears very doubtful...it would be easier to attack a convoy of Kadyrov rather than committing suicide by attempting to break into a fortified town."
Aftermath
The day after the attack, Vladmir Markin, spokesman for the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor (SKP) of the Russian Federation, stated that the Central Investigation Department of the North Caucasus and the Southern Federal DistrictSouthern Federal District
Southern Federal District is one of the eight federal districts of Russia. Its territory lies mostly on the Pontic-Caspian steppe. Its population was 13,856,700 according to the 2010 Census, living on an area of...
would investigate the attacks. On 2 September, Ramzan Kadyrov announced a reward of more than $300,000 for information about each of the insurgency leaders involved in the operation, which Chechen commentators interpreted as an indicator of the government's weakness. Kadyrov also tightened his control over information coming from Tsentoroy by not allowing any of the village's 5,000 inhabitants to leave in the days after the attack; the citizenry were also allegedly under the threat of death not to talk about the siege or the damage inflicted by the rebels.
The operation was also viewed as being impossible without the aid of informants in the circles close to Kadyrov, leading to "massive" interrogations in the village. Some on Kadyrov's side allegedly blamed the incident on Isa Yamadaev's return to Chechnya, thinking that he or some of his associates may have supplied critical information to the insurgents due to a long-running, deadly feud
Sulim Yamadaev/Ramzan Kadyrov Power Struggle
The Sulim Yamadaev/Ramzan Kadyrov power struggle was a feud between rival pro-Moscow Chechen warlords that exploded into armed confrontation between Yamadaev’s Special Battalion “Vostok” forces and Chechen President Kadyrov’s militia known as the “Kadyrovtsy” following an incident in the town of...
between their two families; nothing has since emerged to tie Yamadaev to the assault in any way.
Most analysis of the attack saw it as a "very painful blow" against both Kadyrov and Moscow. Earlier in the month, a quartet of top insurgent field commanders - including Aslambek Vadalov - had renounced their oaths of allegiance to Caucasus Emirate
Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate also known as the Caucasian Emirate is a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, partially successor to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and was officially announced on October 31, 2007 by former President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov, who became the first Emir...
supreme leader Dokka Umarov in order to continue to fight for Chechen independence rather than a pan-Islamic state encompassing the entire North Caucasus; whereas many commentators expected this to weaken the insurgency, the Tsentoroy attack proved decisively that the Chechnya-based fighters were still a force to be reckoned with. Also in early August, Kadyrov made the outlandish claim that there were a "maximum [of] seventy" Islamist militants remaining in Chechnya; not only did the operation clearly refute that, but it also showed that the rebels still had strategists experienced enough to plan and coordinate a three-pronged attack as well as the types of mid-level commanders capable of carrying it out with minimal casualties.