January 24 In History: Terror At Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport

Arrival Terminal Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow (Wikimedia Common)

JAKARTA - On this day, 11 years ago, the Arrival Terminal of Domodedovo International Airport, Moscow, was terrorized. A bomb exploded, killing 35 people and injuring 173 others. The Caucasus Emirate, a militant jihadist group based in Chechnya, is claimed to be responsible for the terror act. The bombing adds to the long data on terrorist attacks originating from the Caucasian region, Russia.

Citing History, North Caucasia in Chechnya is a politically unstable region, especially after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1989. This conflict worsened again when Russia decided to take over control of the region in 2009. This condition made jihadist rebels continue to fight back. government. Since the 2000s, regular bombings have been carried out by Chechen separatists and jihadists. One of the biggest acts of terror perpetrated by the jihadists was the bombing of two planes after smuggling bombs through security at Domodedovo Airport in 2004.

The terrorist group The Caucasus Emirate was founded by Duka Umarov. Umarov is the former president of the Chechen Republic who broke away from Ichkeria, Russia. He aspires to establish Chechnya as a Salafi emirate in 2007.The emirate claimed responsibility for the Russian train bombing in 2009 and the bombings that killed 40 people in the Moscow metro in 2010.

One of the biggest attacks ever carried out by the terror group was in 2011, and it took place around 4:30 p.m. A homemade explosive device filled with wire and shrapnel exploded at the airport's arrivals terminal. The act of terror also killed one of the Ukrainian playwrights, Anna Yablonskaya, 29, who was on her way to receive an award.

Russian security believes that the jihadist group is hunting down foreign nationals in an attempt to gain recognition and destabilize Moscow. The Russian government has identified the alleged 20-year-old Chechen resident Magomed Yevloyev. Umarov himself recently claimed responsibility on behalf of The Caucasus Emirate. He stated that the bombing was carried out as a form of revenge against Russia's "demonic" powers.

Russian police arrested four men, including Yevloyev's 15-year-old brother. The five terrorists were designated as suspects after planning and carrying out the bombing. Three of them received life imprisonment. Meanwhile, Akhmed Yevloyev received a sentence of 10 years.

The terror attack on January 24, 2011 was also the end of the attacks carried out by The Caucasus Emirate. Some sources claim that in the aftermath of the attack, the terrorist group had grown weaker after being outnumbered and exhausted in fighting with the Moscow side. In addition, several other members also joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq.