Background Following the
dissolution of the Soviet Union,
Chechen nationalists, led by
Dzhokhar Dudayev, declared the secession of
Chechnya from Russia as an independent
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). Following two devastating wars with the Russian Federation in the nineties, the ChRI fought an
insurgency against the Russian forces and their Chechen allies from 2000, initially under the leadership of
Aslan Maskhadov. Although the ChRI was largely founded by
Sufi Muslims motivated by nationalism, over time the literalist
Salafist form of Islam became increasingly popular with some Chechens, leading to a schism between nationalists and Salafists. As many of the original nationalist figures were killed by Russian forces, the insurgency took on an increasingly Salafist tone embodied by commanders like
Shamil Basayev and the Arab fighter
Khattab. Many of the surviving nationalists gave up the fight, and by the time Dokka Umarov was declared President of Ichkeria in June 2006, Islamists held increasing influence in the movement. Zakayev also expressed regret that Umarov had caved in to pressure from "
provocateurs" and committed a "crime" that undermines the legitimacy of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Umarov said that he did not need any sanction from the Majlis-ul-
Shura (the
council of rebel field commanders) or anybody else to declare the Emirate, as it is "his duty as a
Muslim" to establish an
Islamic state "as required by
Sharia".
Leadership crisis On 1 August 2010
Kavkaz Center, the official web site of the Emirate, distributed a video where Dokka Umarov indicated that he had stepped down from his position as Emir and appointed
Aslambek Vadalov to become his successor. However, a few days later, on 3 August 2010, Umarov said he had no intention of stepping down and called the video announcing his resignation a fabrication. The announcements drove the emirate into a state of turmoil, with several key rebel leaders resigning their loyalty to Umarov. This combined with the death of
Muhannad is believed to have paved the way for
Hussein Gakayev,
Aslambek Vadalov and
Tarkhan Gaziyev to re-affirm their allegiance to Umarov. Umarov would die in September 2013 from food poisoning.
Aliaskhab Kebekov was announced 6 months later as his successor. Reasons suggested for the decline include the deaths of high-ranking insurgency commanders, the increased targeting by security forces of the support infrastructure relied on by the insurgents, and an exodus of insurgents to other conflict zones. By February 2015, many commanders of the Emirate's Vilayat Nokhchicho and Vilayat Dagestan had defected. Loyalists within the Emirate released statements denouncing them, and accused the most senior defector,
Rustam Asildarov, of betrayal. Vilayat Nokhchicho leader
Aslan Byutukayev pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in June 2015, and an audio statement was released in the same month purportedly pledging allegiance on behalf of militants in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. On 23 June 2015, IS's spokesman
Abu Mohammad al-Adnani accepted these pledges and announced the creation of a
Caucasus Province, a new branch operating in the
North Caucasus region. Al-Adnani named Asildarov as its leader and called on other militants in the region to follow him. The Caucasus Emirate continued to operate independently, but suffered further high-profile losses, including the killing by Russian security forces of Kebekov in April 2015, and his successor
Magomed Suleimanov several months later. By late 2015, the militants still operating in Russia's North Caucasus Republics had largely unified under IS's Caucasus Province. The Caucasus Emirate continued to operate in Syria, fought in the
October–December 2015 Aleppo offensive, and took part in the defense of rebel-held Greater Idlib against
Syrian Army offensives in
2018 and
2019. The group seemingly disappeared in June 2019, however rumors of resurgence of Caucasus Emirate were spread in 2023, though this claim has yet to be confirmed. ==Organizational structure==