The Caucasian Front (), also known as Caucasus Front or the Caucasian Mujahideen, established in May 2005 as an Islamic structural unit of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's armed forces by the decree of the fourth

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Abdul-Halim Sadulayev. In September 2006, Ali Taziev was appointed as the

emir Emir (; ' (), also Romanization of Arabic, transliterated as amir, is a word of Arabic language, Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocratic, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person po ...

and commander-in-chief of the Caucasian Front by Dokka Umarov. The group eventually reorganized as " Vilayat Nokhchicho" in 2007 and became a part of the

Caucasus Emirate The Caucasus Emirate (, IK; ), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a jihadist organisation active in rebel-held parts of Syria and previously in the North Caucasus region of Russia. It ...

History

The group united various rebel Jamaat groups across the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, or Ciscaucasia, is a subregion in Eastern Europe governed by Russia. It constitutes the northern part of the wider Caucasus region, which separates Europe and Asia. The North Caucasus is bordered by the Sea of Azov and the B ...

, including the

Ingush Jamaat Vilayat Galgayche, formerly known as Ingush Jamaat, was an Islamist militant organization connected to numerous attacks against the local and federal security forces in the Russian regions of Ingushetia and Chechnya in the North Caucasus. Sinc ...

, Shariat Jamaat, Yarmuk Jamaat and Kataib al-Khoul, to fight the Russian rule not only in Chechnya but also in the rest of the Caucasus. It was led by a Chechen commander

Shamil Basayev Shamil Salmanovich Basayev (; ; 14 January 1965 – 10 July 2006), also known by his '' kunya'' Abu Idris, was a Chechen guerrilla leader who served as a senior military commander in the breakaway Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. He held the rank ...

until his death in July 2006 and since then by Ali Taziev. In October 2007 the Caucasian Front later became the

, a self proclaimed

emirate An emirate is a territory ruled by an emir, a title used by monarchs or high officeholders in the Muslim world. From a historical point of view, an emirate is a political-religious unit smaller than a caliphate. It can be considered equivalent ...

. While the anti-Russian local insurgencies in

started even before the formal creation of the Caucasian Front, two months after Aslan Maskhadov's death, the new Chechen leader Abdul-Halim Sadulayev officially announced that they had formed a Caucasus Front within the framework of "reforming the system of military-political power." The movement had taken on a new role as the official ideological, logistical and, probably, financial hub of the new insurgency in the North Caucasus. Increasingly frequent clashes between federal forces and local rebels continued in

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...

and Ingushetia, while sporadic fighting erupts in the other southern Russia regions. Before the declaration of the

, the movement had conducted two-large scale attacks, the 2004 Nazran raid in Ingushetia and the

2005 Nalchik raid The 2005 raid on Nalchik was a Raid (military), raid by a large group of Islamic militants on Nalchik (pop. 250,000), in the Kabardino-Balkaria, Kabardino-Balkar Republic (KBR) of southern Russia, on 13 October 2005. A number of buildings asso ...

in Kabardino-Balkaria. The movement also launched many smaller attacks such as the 2006 Avtury ambush & 2007 Zhani-Vedeno ambush.

Fronts of the Caucasian front

Fronts within the Chechen Republic

* Northern Front (later became northeastern front and northwestern front) * Eastern front (later became southeastern front)

Fronts beyond the Chechen Republic

In October 2006, Dokka Umarov established two new fronts beyond the North Caucasus region.North Caucasus Conflict Spreads to Tatarstan
The Jamestown Foundation, 2 August 2012 *

Volga The Volga (, ) is the longest river in Europe and the longest endorheic basin river in the world. Situated in Russia, it flows through Central Russia to Southern Russia and into the Caspian Sea. The Volga has a length of , and a catchment ...

front (became Idel-Ural wilayah) * Ural front

Sectors of the Caucasian front

The Caucasian Front was also divided into several sectors ( wilayat). *

Adygea Adygea ( ), officially the Republic of Adygea or the Adygean Republic, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is a part of the Southern Federal District, and covers an a ...

n sector * Ingush sector * Kabardino-Balkarian sector * Karachay-Cherkess sector *

Krasnodar Krasnodar, formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern Russia, with a population of 1,154,885 residents, and up to 1.263 millio ...

sector * Ossetian sector * Stavropol sector

List of attacks

* 2004 Nazran raid: 87 killed *

: 138 killed * 2006 Avtury ambush: 7 killed * 2007 Zhani-Vedeno ambush: 5 killed

References

External links

{{Chechen wars Islamism in Chechnya Jihadist groups National liberation movements Political organizations based in Russia Organized crime by ethnicity