Mujahideen in Chechnya

Mujahideen in Chechnya
Jihadist black flagand Coat of Arms of the ChRI
Founder	Fathi al-Urduni
Leaders	Ibn al-Khattab(1999–2002) Abu al-Walid(2002–2004) Abu Hafs al-Urduni(2004–2006) Muhannad(2006–2011) Abdullah al-Kurdi(2011)
Dates of operation	1995–2012
Allegiance	Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Caucasus Emiratesince 2007
Motives	Chechen independence from Russia and Shariah in Chechnya
Ideology	Islamism Jihadism
Size	Hundreds
Opponents	Russia Georgia Kadyrovites
Battles and wars	First Chechen War War of Dagestan Second Chechen War Insurgency in the North Caucasus First Nagorno-Karabakh War

TheMujahideen in Chechnya(Russian:моджахеды в Чечне,Muzhakhady v Chechnye;Arabic:المجاهدون العرب في الشيشان) were foreignIslamistMujahideenvolunteers that fought inChechnyaand other parts of theNorth Caucasus.

It was created byFathi al-Urduniin 1995 during theFirst Chechen War,where it fought against theRussian Federationin favor of Chechnya's independence as theChechen Republic of Ichkeria.During theSecond Chechen Warit played an important part in further fighting.

Name

The unit has been known by several names throughout its existence. Examples include theChechen Mujahideen,theIslamic Regiment,theIslamic Battalion,theArabs in Chechnyaand theAnsaar in Chechnya.

Although the overwhelming majority of the unit has always consisted ofArabvolunteers, there were also members of non-Arab, usuallyKurds,Turksand other North Cauсasians. It is not to be confused with theSpecial Purpose Islamic Regiment(SPIR),al-Qaeda’s055 Brigadeor theIslamic International Peacekeeping Brigade(IIPB).

History

Foreign Mujahideen have played an important part in bothFirstandSecond Chechen Wars.After thecollapseof theSoviet Unionand the subsequent Chechen declaration of independence, foreign fighters started entering the region and associated themselves with Chechen rebels, most notablyShamil Basayevwith whomIbn al-Khattabbuild up a friendship. Many of them were veterans of theSoviet–Afghan Warand prior to theRussianinvasion, they used their expertise to train Chechen fighters.

First Chechen War and Interwar period

During theFirst Chechen Warthey were notorious and feared for theirguerilla tactics,inflicting severe casualties on Russian forces. The mujahideen also made a significant financial contribution to the Chechen cause; with their access to the immense wealth ofSalafistcharities likeal-Haramein,they soon became an invaluable source of funds for the Chechen resistance, which had little to none resources of its own.

After the withdrawal of Russian forces from Chechnya most of the mujahideen decided to remain in the country, including Khattab who married a woman fromDagestan.In 1999, foreign fighters played an important role in theWar of Dagestan.Shamil Basayev and Khattab had created the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade which was composed of Chechen fighters. The invasion was started in support of theIslamic Djamaat of Dagestanseparatistrebels.After the battle, they retreated back into Chechnya. The incursion provided the new Russian government with a pretext for intervention and in December 1999 Russian ground forces invaded Chechnya again.

Second Chechen War

During the ensuingSecond Chechen War,the Arab Mujahideen played another important part, both for delivering fighters and their financial contributions. It was during this time that the Russians succeeded in eliminating the most prominent mujahideen commandersIbn al-KhattabandAbu al-Walid.

Commanders

As Mujahideen in Chechnya

• Ibn al-Khattab(1999–2002)
• Abu al-Walid(2002–2004)
• Abu Hafs al-Urduni(2004–2006)
• Muhannad(2006–2011)
• Abdulla Kurd(2011)

Structure

The foreign battalion was mostly composed ofArabs,however, there were alsoCaucasianandKurdishfighters in relatively small numbers. All knownEmirs(leaders) are deceased. Its first Emir wasIbn Al-Khattab(Saudi) who was killed in March 2002 and succeeded byAbu al-Walid(Saudi), who was killed in April 2004. His successor becameAbu Hafs al-Urduni(Jordanian) who was killed in November 2006. He was succeeded byMuhannad(Saudi), who was killed in a clash with security forces in the Chechen village of Serzhen-Yurt on 21 April 2011.Several weeks later, his successorAbdulla Kurd(Kurdish) was also killed.The battalion was split into multiple units ofMujahideencommanded by their respectiveEmirswhich disbanded by 2012.

See also

• Pan-Islamism
• White Tights(Alleged female Baltic snipers in the Chechen Wars)

Afghanistan

• Afghan mujahideen
• Afghan Arabs

Yugoslav wars

• Bosnian mujahideen

Iraqi conflict

• Kurdish Mujahideen