The Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev visited Dagestan last year . It is an impoverished Russian republic in the North Caucasus region . There certainly is a violent Islamic insurgency underway in Dagestan and much of the rest of the North Caucasus , but the militants ' main adversaries lie within Russia . Radical Islamist groups fighting against Russia are active , have deep roots in Russia . Rajan writes : Life in Dagestan can be chaotic , violent and short .
The Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev visited Dagestan last year . It is an impoverished Russian republic in the North Caucasus region . Radical Islamist groups fighting against Russia are active , have deep roots in Russia . Rajan writes : Life in Dagestan can be chaotic , violent and short .