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| Caucasian Front (Russian:Кавказский фронт) | |
|---|---|
  Flag of Caucasian Front and coat of arms of ChRI | |
| Leaders | Abdul-Halim Sadulayev † Shamil Basayev † Dokka Umarov † Ali Taziev Abdullah Yandurkaev(Emir Abu Muslim) † |
| Dates of operation | May 2005 – October 2007 |
| Motives | To fight the Russian rule not only in Chechnya but also in the rest of the Caucasus |
| Headquarters | North Caucasus |
| Active regions | Russia |
| Ideology | Islamism |
| Part of |  Chechen Republic of Ichkeria |
| Allies | Ingush Jamaat Shariat Jamaat Yarmuk Jamaat Kataib al-Khoul |
| Opponents |  Russia |
| Wars | First Chechen War Insurgency in the North Caucasus |
TheCaucasian Front (Russian:Кавказский фронт), also known asCaucasus Front or theCaucasian Mujahideen, established in May 2005 as an Islamic structural unit of theChechen Republic of Ichkeria's armed forces by the decree of the fourthpresident of theChechen Republic of Ichkeria,Abdul-Halim Sadulayev. In September 2006,Ali Taziev was appointed as theemir and commander-in-chief of the Caucasian Front byDokka Umarov. The group eventually reorganized as "Vilayat Nokhchicho" in 2007 and became a part of theCaucasus Emirate.
The group united various rebel Jamaat groups across theNorth Caucasus, including theIngush Jamaat,Shariat Jamaat,Yarmuk Jamaat andKataib al-Khoul, to fight the Russian rule not only in Chechnya but also in the rest of the Caucasus. It was led by aChechen commanderShamil Basayev until his death in July 2006 and since then byAli Taziev. In October 2007 the Caucasian Front later became theCaucasus Emirate, a self proclaimedemirate.
While the anti-Russian local insurgencies inNorth Caucasus started even before the formal creation of the Caucasian Front, two months afterAslan Maskhadov's death, the new Chechen leaderAbdul-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 inDagestan andIngushetia, while sporadic fighting erupts in the other southern Russia regions. Before the declaration of theCaucasus Emirate, the movement had conducted two-large scale attacks, the2004 Nazran raid in Ingushetia and the2005 Nalchik raid in Kabardino-Balkaria. The movement also launched many smaller attacks such as the2006 Avtury ambush &2007 Zhani-Vedeno ambush.
In October 2006,Dokka Umarov established two new fronts beyond the North Caucasus region.[2]
The Caucasian Front was also divided into several sectors (wilayat).
Media related toCaucasian Front (militant group) at Wikimedia Commons
