Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade (IIPB) -- Shared Members
Riyad us-Saliheyn Martyrs' Brigade -- Shared Members

The Black Widows are female suicide bombers, usually of Chechen origin, many of whom lost husbands in the Chechen wars against Russia. In the Russian media, the term has been applied to any female suicide bomber regardless of ethnicity, as fears have increased of ethnic Russians converting to Islam and joining terrorist groups. Although some see the Black Widows as more of an overall phenomenon rather than an organized group, some attacks have been claimed by an entity calling itself the "Black Widows Brigade." <P><br /><br />The first known "Black Widow" was Khava Barayeva, who blew herself up at a Russian military base in Chechnya in June 2000. An alert was issued to Russian security services in early 2004 for a woman popularly referred to as "Black Fatima," who was thought to be one of the principal recruiters of suicide bombers inside Russia. Many Chechen widows have been convinced by separatists that they have become burdens and that the loss of their husband was a punishment for their sins, leaving suicide bombing as their last resort. Some claim that potential suicide bombers are drugged and coerced into action and that extensive brainwashing techniques have been used on these women. <br />

Leaders of the Chechen resistance movement have been split on the issue of the Black Widows. Recently deceased political leader Aslan Maskhadov, who had been acting as Chechen President, had disavowed connections to the Black Widows, although this claim was denied by Russian security officials. Warlord Shamil Basayev, the man responsible for the 2002 Dubrovka Theater siege and the Beslan school massacre, has supported their actions, and has claimed to have personally trained 50 Black Widows. <P><br /><br />Violence in the Caucasus region and the threat of suicide bombings continue to plague the region. Reports indicate that hundreds have died in these female suicide attacks, including approximately 150 in the summer of 2003 alone. The Black Widows will undoubtedly continue to gain recruits as the reservoir of widowed Chechen women grows commensurate to the death of rebel Chechen fighters. Officials in Moscow widely regard them as an active threat to peace and security in the region. <br /><br />