Formerly rebellious Russian republic Chechnya has been quiet lately under the stern rule of its Moscow-backed president, Ramzan Kadyrov. But the war that successive Russian presidents have considered a war against terrorists (and Chechen militants have considered a battle for independence) may have moved next door to Dagestan, Russia's largest republic. For the last couple of weeks, news of Russian forces battling militants has trickled from the Republic, in a counterterrorism operation prompted by the murder in December of a member of Dagestan's parliament, Gazimagomed Magomedov.

According to one report, 1,500 Russian troops are combing Gimri, a mountainous area not far from the murder location; according to another, the number of deployed is 3,500, and the area has been sealed off since mid-December. The situation is not good for residents, as they explain the situation:

Literally every day, armed men in camouflage conduct sweeps and detain village men to check their identity. Some they let go immediately after their ID has been checked; others get carted off to the police and then taken away from the village. We’re afraid to go out as the soldiers periodically open fire in the village.

There appears to be confusion not only over who killed Magomedov, but also over how to characterize the armed groups committing attacks in the area. In the meantime, government raids continue nearly daily against a militant groups who are often described in English language news reports as Islamic militants. The shorthand doesn't fully describe their motivation though. as Domitilla Sagramoso, a Security and Development professor at King's College, has explained, local politics, corruption, poverty and political suppression, as well as separatist goals, all play a part:

Today, a loose network of formally autonomous violent groups, or Islamic jamaats, has developed throughout the North Caucasus, primarily in the Muslim republics of Ingushetia, Dagestan, Karachaevo-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. Islamic ideals seem to guide and inspire much of the terrorist violence, although they are intermingled with deep nationalist sentiments, especially among rebel groups in Chechnya. However, the intricacies of the violence in the North Caucasus are much more complex, and are only partially related to the spread of radical Islam and separatist aspirations. Other underlying factors, such as the perpetuation of discredited and corrupt ruling elites, the persistence of severe economic hardship, youth unemployment and social alienation, and the absence of proper and effective channels of political expression are also driving the violence.

And, as Sagramoso goes on to say, these events may seem far away to Western audiences, but in fact they " have significant implications for Europe and the wider world. The enlargement of the European Union and the inclusion of Ukraine and the three South Caucasian states into the EU neighbourhood policy have brought these countries and the adjacent areas of the North Caucasus closer to the EU. As a result, events in the North Caucasus are no longer the sole remit of countries in the region. There is a risk that instability and violence in the North Caucasus may spread into areas that are of growing significance not only to Europe, but also to the United States and the Atlantic alliance" (International Affairs July 2007).

Read more: Timeline of Russian-Chechen conflict