In 1998 Chechen guerilla leader Shamil Basayev and Saudi born commander Ibn al-Khattab established the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade (IIPB). Membership is primarily comprised of nationalistic, ethnic Chechen fighters as well as a contingent of Arabs and other foreign fighters who adhere to Islamic extremist doctrine (Wahabbism). <P><br /><br />Distinct from other Chechen resistance groups, the IIPB main objective is not only the creation of an independent Chechen state, but one that is governed by Islamic fundamentalist law (Sharia). This is attributed to the influence of the group's commander-in-chief, al-Khattab, and the influx of Arab mujahideen he brought with him from Afghanistan. Additionally, al-Khattab maintained ties with Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network, which furnished financial, operational, and military support. Al-Khattab was also able to mobilize militants from Ingushetia, Ossetia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan to help in the fight, while his numerous Gulf and Middle Eastern financial connections proved invaluable in the proliferation of the radical Chechen movement. <P><br /><br />To aid in achieving its ultimate objective, the IIPB established training camps in southeastern Chechnya, which trained unemployed young Chechen men and Muslims from throughout Russia for a jihad that was far greater in scope than originally envisioned by Chechnya's nationalist leadership. The IIPB has also been credited with a number of attacks against Russian assets. In August-September 1999, the IIPB undertook several incursions into Dagestan, effectively starting the second Chechen War. Attacks have been directed at both military and civilian targets, including the September 1999 apartment bombings in Moscow, the February 29, 2000 attack on a Russian Airborne Infantry company and the March 29, 2000, ambush against a detachment of Russian Special Forces troops. Most attacks are characterized by the use of explosives to kill and/or disable Russian forces, so they may be engaged more successfully by groups of armed insurgents. <P><br /><br />The IIPB's most infamous attack came on October 22, 2002. It was one of three terrorist groups that furnished personnel to carry out the seizure of the Dubrovka Theater in Moscow. The suicide attackers took more than 900 hostages, whom they threatened to kill if the Russian Government did not meet their demands  --  the complete withdrawal of Russian security forces from Chechnya within a week's time and the recognition of an independent Chechen state. The standoff ended three days later, when Russian Special Forces troops raided the building, killing all terrorists involved. Over 150 civilian hostages were also killed as a result of the operation.<br />