Pankisi Gorge crisis

Pankisi Gorge Operations
Part of War on Terror, Spillover of the Second Chechen War, and the Chechen-Russian conflict

Akhmeta Municipality (Kakheti, Eastern Georgia), where the Pankisi Gorge is located.
Date14 April 2001– September 2003
Location
Pankisi Gorge, Georgia
Result Georgian victory
Belligerents
Georgia (country) Georgia
Supported by:
 Russia
 United States[1]		 Arab Mujahideen[1]
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Chechen fighters
Al-Qaeda (alleged)[1]
Commanders and leaders
Georgia (country) Eduard Shevardnadze Abu Atiya[2]
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Ibn al-Khattab †
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Shamil Basayev
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Ruslan Gelayev
Strength
Over 1,000 security forces Possibly hundreds of militants
Casualties and losses
Four police officers captured (later freed) Unknown killed
Many dozen captured

The Pankisi Gorge crisis was a spillover of the Second Chechen War, with military dimension in Georgia early in the 2000s. Georgia was pressured by Russia and the United States to repress the threats of Al-Qaeda in the Pankisi Gorge.[3]

  1. ^ a b c "Pressed by U.S., Georgia Gets Tough With Outsiders: Valley Drew Arabs and Chechens, But Were They Al Qaeda?". The Washington Post. 27 April 2002.
  2. ^ File:Powell UN Iraq presentation, alleged Terrorist Network.jpg
  3. ^ "Refworld | Moscow hostage crisis underscores risk of Georgia's Chechen dilemma".