Ahmed the Dead Terrorist

Op-Ed

The recent anti-terrorist operation in Tbilisi once again reminded us how fragile peace is for Georgia, even how fragile the statehood of Georgia itself is, considering the threats that hang over us as we survive amid dreadful beasts and never-ending wars.

It’s been two weeks since the special operation on Monk Gabriel Salosi Street and the only think we know for sure is that weapons had been imported by terrorists and stored in the woods of Tbilisi. We also know that they trespassed illegally, which means they bypassed the border checkpoints. There were four terrorists, not six, as the media suggested initially. One of them was arrested and three killed, of the latter, one is Ahmed Chataev, organizer of the terrorist attack in the Ataturk Airport, Turkey. He is the one whose name has long been the reason of political conflict in Georgia, the former government having accused the current of freeing Chataev, who was detained five years ago during the infamous Lapankuri special operation. The GD returns accusations by claiming the UNM’s former government’s arrest of Chataev was ungrounded, which is why they say they had to free him.

The other subject of conflict is the routes that Chataev took to enter Georgia. Political expert Tornike Sharashidze believes that the image of Georgia has been shattered significantly: “The country and its image has been seriously damaged, at least by the fact that Chataev was in the country and we still don’t know what happened in reality... If he trespassed, we have a problem in terms of border control... If the one-legged, wanted Chataev simply approached the border and was let in, it means somebody was involved, who, I suspect, took money... and this man who lived here obviously had some guarantees. What happened next is unknown: something “blew up” at some moment and this special operation began.... My version is as destructive for our country as the official version about trespassing,” the expert said.

Many questions and allegations have emerged around the fact that if the weapons and arms weren’t brought in by Chataev himself but somehow ended up in his apartment from the concealed place in woods, it means that somebody else brought them to him. Moreover, that somebody helped him find the apartment, and there are naturally a few questions to be asked to the owner.

All other questions remain unanswered. The government keeps silent about why, how and for what reasons Chataev and his group were residing in Tbilisi. Although political experts comment on the event, their argumentation is mostly based on logic rather than fact. For instance, expert on Caucasus Affairs Mamuka Areshidze stated: “As far as I know, two months prior to the operation, Chataev contacted a specific group of people in Georgia and tried to find out if it was worth coming into the country. Some tried to convince him that it would pose no threat. I’m far from the idea that the phone calls weren’t monitored, so perhaps he who invited Chataev was working with the special forces. Chataev was not a person whom you could easily deceive, therefore quite possibly Chataev created a few “circles” of safety before entering the country,” the expert supposes.

For now the non-existence of hostages is the only success of the operation. But whether this was the result of good planning from the Special Forces or just the will of God is still unknown, even though the government boasts it as its accomplishment.

Zaza Jgarkava