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Bin Laden shifting base, says Russia

The surprise attack by Tajik rebels in Kyrgyzstan, the ongoing war in Dagestan and the presence of the Taliban in these war zones is being seen as a sign of a "shift of terrorist Osama Bin Laden's operational headquarters from Afghanistan to Russia's volatile zones," the state-owned "Voice of Russia" radio reported.

The radio said Islamic fundamentalism is rapidly spreading in Russia's south, beginning from Chechnya, the breakaway republic of the Russian federation.

The radio had earlier quoted chairman of the Russian Duma's Committee for Nationalities Affairs, Valentin Zorin, as admitting that "clearing of the terrorists from the mountain areas of Dagestan will not be completed in a few days or weeks".

Meanwhile, President Boris Yeltsin, Chinese President Jiang Zemin and leaders from three former Soviet central Asian nations were holding talks in the 'Shanghai Five' summit in Bishkek. Among the issues being discussed at the summit were terrorism and non-proliferation.

The leaders made it clear during the summit that they had no intention of entering into any military bloc.

The radio also pointed out that Russia was deeply concerned about the possibility of a third-party intervention since it wanted no repetition of the Kosovo case. The radio also mentioned the "keen interest of Washington in the growing Islamic extremism in central Asia."

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