From tactical terrorism to Holy War: the evolution of Chechen terrorism, 1995 – 2004 YAGIL HENKIN Introduction We do not intend to kill any hostages. We shot employees of the [Russian] government ... [because] snipers killed or wounded our comrades. There is absolutely no intent to kill them [the hostages]. We will not shoot women and children—we’re not maniacs. 1 These were the words of Shamil Basayev, the commander of the hostage-taking operation in the town of Budyenovsk in 1995, the biggest terrorist attack in the Chechen conflict up to that date. They were very different from Basayev’s words recently when he claimed responsibility for the September 2004 kidnapping in Beslan. Nor did he hesitate to take credit for the simultaneous blowing up in flight of two Russian civilian airplanes, killing dozens, including women and children. During the first war in Chechnya a decade ago, he was known as a brilliant com- mander only occasionally involved in terror operations—and his forces did not kill women hostages. There were only two large-scale terror operations during the 20 months of that war and, the total number of hostages killed by the Chechens was no more than 15, almost all of them captured Russian soldiers and policemen. The number killed by the Russians themselves in the course of often ham-handed rescue operations was about 15 times that number—around 120 in Budyonovsk alone. 2 In a notable example, when Chechen hostage-takers broke through the Russian siege in the village of Pervomayskoye in 1996, they passed through a minefield. The Chechens went first and some were killed by mines. The hostages came after- wards through the cleared path. After their release, they were angrier at the Russian authorities than with their captors. Dima Alexandrovich, a hostage during the week-long affair, stated that the kidnappers ‘never shot anyone. They did not abuse us; in fact, they didn’t even [curse].’ 3 By the second Chechen war, beginning September 1999, however, Chechen ter- rorism became increasingly cruel and murderous. Civilians including women and children were targeted, multiple executions took place, fleeing hostages were shot in the back. Central Asian Survey (March – June 2006) 25(1–2), 193–203 Yagil Henkin is a Military Historian and a Research Fellow at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem. 0263-4937 print=1465-3354 online=06=1-2=0193-11 # 2006 Central Asian Survey DOI: 10.1080=02634930600903270