Aslan Avgazarovich Byutukayev (), also known as Emir Khamzat and Abubakar (22 October 1974 – 20 January 2021) was a
Chechen terrorist commander in the
Islamic State
An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...
(IS)
Wilayah al-Qawqaz, the commander of the
Riyad-us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs
Riyad-us Saliheen ( Russian: Риядус-Салихийн, also transliterated as ''Riyadus-Salikhin'', ''Riyad us-Saliheyn'' or ''Riyad us-Salihiin'') was the name of a small "martyr" (''shahid'') force of suicide attackers. Its original leade ...
and a close associate of the deceased
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 ...
leader
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 ...
.
Byutukayev was listed as a
Specially Designated Global Terrorist
A Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) is a person or entity that has been designated as such by the United States Department of State or the US Department of the Treasury. An SDGT designation is made under authority of US Executive Order ...
by the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
on 13 July 2016. He was killed by
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
special operatives in January 2021.
Biography
Until 2010, Emir Khamzat was a little-known field commander. In the summer of that year, there was a dispute between
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 ...
and several commanders of the Chechen wing 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 ...
. They were
Tarkhan Gaziyev,
Muhannad,
Aslambek Vadalov and
Khuseyn Gakayev. That led to Byutukayev's rapid promotion to the commander of Chechnya's Southwestern Front.
He also succeeded the slain
Said Buryatsky
Said Buryatsky (February 10, 1982 – March 2, 2010) was an Islamist militant leader in the Russian North Caucasus. Buryatsky had been among the most-wanted men in Russia, and he was considered an ideologue leader of the Islamist rebels in ...
as leader of the Caucasus Emirate's unit of
suicide bomber
A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...
s, the
Riyad-us Saliheen.
In January 2011, Byutukayev trained Magomed Yevloyev, the suicide bomber who carried out the
bombing of Moscow Domodedovo Airport
Domodedovo Airport ( rus, links=no, Домодедово аэропорт, p=dəmɐˈdʲɛdəvə) (IATA: DME, ICAO: UUDD), formally Domodedovo Mikhail Lomonosov International Airport, is an international airport serving Moscow, the capital of Rus ...
.
Shortly before the bombing, Dokka Umarov, Byutukayev and Magomed Yevloyev filmed a video, claiming responsibility for the attack.
In March 2011, it was reported that Aslan Byutukayev had been killed in an airstrike by
Russian Air Force in
Ingushetia, along with the deputy leader of the Caucasus Emirate,
Supyan Abdullayev
Supyan Abdullaev (Russian: Супьян Абдуллаев; 8 November 1956 – 28 March 2011) was the vice president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. He was appointed to this position (vacant since the death of Shamil Basayev) on 19 March 2 ...
.
However, while the rebels confirmed the death of Abdullayev, the death of Byutukayev was denied.
In June 2011, in a video released on the internet, a silent Byutukayev appeared at the side of Dokka Umarov, as the latter claimed responsibility for the assassination of
Yuri Budanov
Yuri Dmitrievich Budanov ( rus, Ю́рий Дми́триевич Буда́нов, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj ˈdmʲitrʲɪjɪvʲɪdʑ bʊˈdanəf; 24 November 196310 June 2011) was a Russian military officer convicted by a Russian court of kidnapping and ...
, a former Russian Colonel, who kidnapped, murdered and allegedly raped an 18-year-old Chechen girl during
Second Chechen War
The Second Chechen War (russian: Втора́я чече́нская война́, ) took place in Chechnya and the border regions of the North Caucasus between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, from August 1999 ...
.
In July 2011, at a meeting of the Caucasus Emirate's Sharia Court, Umarov appointed Byutukayev to his
deputy in the newly created Western Sector of
Vilayat Nokhchicho
The Province of Nokhchicho ( ce, Vilayat Noxçiyçö, Вилаят Нохчийчоь, , russian: Джамаат Нохчийчоь, translit=Djamaät Nokhchiicho', ) was the Chechen-based wing of the Caucasus Emirate organisation. It was created ...
.
In May 2014, Byutukayev appeared in a video with a large number of field commanders of the Vilayat Nokhchicho, giving an oath of allegiance to the new head of the Caucasus Emirate, Aliaskhab Kebekov, who succeeded Dokka Umarov.
Toward the end of 2014, the Caucasus Emirate became more active in their insurgent activities. On 5 October 2014, a suicide bombing took place near the city hall of Grozny
Grozny ( rus, Грозный, p=ˈgroznɨj; ce, Соьлжа-ГӀала, translit=Sölƶa-Ġala), also spelled Groznyy, is the capital city of Chechnya, Russia.
The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the 2010 census, it had a po ...
. Five Russian police officers and the suicide bomber were killed. Another 12 people were wounded. Byutukayev also took responsibility for the 2014 Grozny clashes, during which 14 Russian policemen were killed and a total of 35 people wounded.
Disappearance and death
In June 2015, and following the death of Caucasus Emirate leader, Aliaskhab Kebekov, Byutukayev released an audio message, pledging allegiance to IS and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ( ar, أبو بكر البغدادي, ʾAbū Bakr al-Baḡdādī; born Ibrahim Awad Ibrahim Ali Muhammad al-Badri al-Samarrai ( ar, إبراهيم عواد إبراهيم علي محمد البدري السامرائي, ʾIb ...
.[Аслан Бютукаев присягнул лидеру ИГ от имени боевиков Чечни](_blank)
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In 2016 according to reports he was hiding in Turkey, although this was unconfirmed.
In January 2021, he and five militants were killed in Katyr-Yurt
Katyr-Yurt (russian: Катыр-Юрт or Катар-Юрт, ce, Котар-Йурт, ''Kotar-Yurt'') is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Achkhoy-Martanovsky District, Chechnya.
Administrative and municipal status
Municipally, Katyr-Yurt is in ...
, Chechnya as a result of a special operation of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Chechnya.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Byutukayev, Aslan
1974 births
2021 deaths
21st-century Russian criminals
Caucasian Front (militant group)
Caucasus Emirate members
Chechen field commanders
Chechen Islamists
Fugitives
Individuals designated as terrorists by the United States government
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant members
Russian male criminals
Russian people of Chechen descent