Islamist rebels in Dagestan deny link to Boston bombing
Our war is with Russia, say mujahideen in Dagestan, which older of two bombing suspects visited last year, a trip FBI is belatedly probing
Islamist rebels in the Russian republic of Dagestan have denied any links to the bombing of the Boston marathon.
US investigators have begun to focus on a trip last year to Dagestan taken by Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the suspect killed during a manhunt on Friday, to see if he developed ties with the restive republic's violent rebel movement, the Vilayat Dagestan.
"The Vilayat Dagestan command ... indicates that mujahideen from the Caucasus are not at war with the United States of America," the group said in a statement.
The Vilayat Dagestan command ... indicates that mujahideen from the Caucasus are not at war with the United States of America
"We are at war with Russia, which is responsible not only for the occupation of the Caucasus, but also of heinous crimes against Muslims."
Dagestani rebels, under the Caucasus Emirate umbrella group seeking to create an Islamist state along Russia's southern and mainly Muslim flank, have terrorised the republic for years.
They organise training camps and safe houses, but have focused their attacks on security officials and religious figures who collaborate with the state.
Sniper attacks are a regular occurrence. On Sunday, a homemade bomb exploded near a police officer's car but did not cause any injuries.
The statement also said the group followed an order issued by Doku Umarov, head of the Caucasus Emirate and Russia's enemy No1, to avoid attacks on civilians.