Ilgar Mollachiev, better known as Emir Abdul Madzhid (Majid), was the militant leader of the

Shariat Jamaat Vilayat Dagestan (; russian: Вилайят Дагестан, Vilayyat Dagestan), formerly known as Shariat Jamaat, was an Islamist Jihadist group based in the Russian republic of Dagestan and is part of the Caucasus Emirate. The group is clos ...

of the Caucasian Front in the Second Chechen War, in the volatile southern Russian republic of

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

. He was the deputy of

Rappani Khalilov Rappani Khalilov (russian: Раппани Халилов) (October 27, 1969 – September 17, 2007), also known as Rabbani, was the militant leader of the Shariat Jamaat of the Caucasian Front (Chechen War), Caucasian Front during the Second Chech ...

until Khalilov's death in September 2007. He was then appointed the new leader of the Shariat Jamaat by the orders of

Dokka Umarov Doku Khamatovich Umarov ( ce, Ӏумар Хьамади кӀант Докка, translit='Umar Ẋamadi khant Dokka, ; russian: Доку Хаматович Умаров, Doku Khamatovich Umarov; 13 April 1964 – 7 September 2013), also known as ...

. His nationality was Tsakhur.

Biography

According to

Kavkaz Center The Kavkaz Center (KC; russian: Кавказ-центр, Kavkaz-centr, lit=Caucasus Center) is a privately run website/portal which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic". The stated mission of the s ...

, Abdul Madzhid began his wartime career fighting in volunteer units under Aslan Maskhadov and other separatist commanders at the onset of the Second Chechen war. Although the precise time is not known Abdul Madzhid did train in camps run by Ibn al-Khattab; this helped him legitimize himself as a rebel leader in Dagestan with both Chechen separatist and foreign

mujahideen ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...

leaders. After fighting many battles in Chechnya and gaining the support of top rebel leaders, he decided to go back to Dagestan to fight the Russians in his homeland and lend local rebels his training and tactics. In 2005 he joined Shariat Jamaat where he became good friends with

and where he quickly gained popularity in the rebel ranks as a charismatic commander and an expert in

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

.Political and rebel leadership changes in Dagestan
/ref> Madzhid was credited for bringing order to the resistance cells spread across the republic of Dagestan after they became decentralized due to Rappani Khalilov's death. After Khalilov's death, Abdul Madzhid was appointed the new leader of the Shariat Jamaat on the orders of

, President of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and leader of the

Caucasus Emirate The Caucasus Emirate ( ce, Имарат Кавказ, Imarat Kavkaz, IK; russian: Кавказский эмират, Kavkazskiy emirat), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a Jihadist ...

. In one of his first addresses as Amir, Abdul Madzhid repeated his and Shariat Jammats oath to only attack security and military targets and to avoid civilian deaths at all cost, much like the commitment his two successors Rasul Makasharipov and Khaliov made. Even though he was born in Dagestan, Madzhid was closely connected with rebel groups fighting in the borderlands of Chechnya, which made it possible for him to find support among the Chechens and gave him an advantage in his new role as Jamaat leader. Abdul Madzhid was responsible for creating a new jamaat located in northern Azerbaijan. On September 7, 2008, Abdul Madzhid and three other rebels were ambushed by Russian special forces in southern Dagestan. In the ensuing battle Madzhid and at least one other rebel were killed.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madzhid, Abdul 2008 deaths Caucasus Emirate members Caucasian Front (militant group) Lezgins People from Zaqatala Chechen Islamists Russian Islamists People of the Chechen wars Chechen rebels Russian Sunni Muslims 1974 births Leaders of Islamic terror groups Salafi jihadists