Caucasian Front (militant group)

Chechen Islamist militant group

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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
Battles and wars| Second Chechen War

Preceded by
Chechen Republic of Ichkeria

Succeeded by
Caucasus Emirate (various defecting factions)

The Caucasian Front (Russian: Кавказский фронт), 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 of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Abdul-Halim Sadulayev. In September 2006, Ali Taziev was appointed as the emir 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.

## History

[edit]

The group united various rebel Jamaat groups across the North Caucasus, including the Ingush Jamaat, 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 until his death in July 2006 and since then by Ali Taziev. In October 2007 the Caucasian Front later became the Caucasus Emirate, a self proclaimed emirate.

While the anti-Russian local insurgencies in North Caucasus 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 and Ingushetia, while sporadic fighting erupts in the other southern Russia regions. Before the declaration of the Caucasus Emirate, the movement had conducted two-large scale attacks, the 2004 Nazran raid in Ingushetia and the 2005 Nalchik raid 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

[edit]

### Fronts within the Chechen Republic

[edit]

* Northern Front (later became northeastern front and northwestern front)
* Eastern front (later became southeastern front)[1]

### Fronts beyond the Chechen Republic

[edit]

In October 2006, Dokka Umarov established two new fronts beyond the North Caucasus region.[2]

* Volga front (became Idel-Ural wilayah)
* Ural front

## Sectors of the Caucasian front

[edit]

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

* Adygean sector
* Ingush sector
* Kabardino-Balkarian sector
* Karachay-Cherkess sector
* Krasnodar sector
* Ossetian sector
* Stavropol sector

## List of attacks

[edit]

* 2004 Nazran raid: 87 killed
* 2005 Nalchik raid: 138 killed
* 2006 Avtury ambush: 7 killed
* 2007 Zhani-Vedeno ambush: 5 killed

## See also

[edit]

* Islamic International Brigade

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Доку Умаров назначил подпольных генералов". Lenta.ru. Retrieved Jan 26, 2023.
2. ^ North Caucasus Conflict Spreads to Tatarstan, The Jamestown Foundation, 2 August 2012

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Caucasian Front (militant group) at Wikimedia Commons

* v
* t
* e

Chechen–Russian conflict

* First Chechen War (1994–1996)
* War in Dagestan (1999)
* Second Chechen War (1999–2009)
* Insurgency in Ingushetia (2007–2015)
* Insurgency in the North Caucasus (2009–2017)

First Chechen War|

* Battle of Dolinskoye
* Battle of Khankala
* Battle of Grozny (1994–1995)
* 1995 Shali cluster bomb attack
* Samashki massacre
* Shatoy ambush
* Battle of Grozny (August 1996)
* Khasavyurt Accord
* Russia–Chechnya Peace Treaty

Second Chechen War|

* 1999 Russian bombing of Chechnya
* Battle of Grozny (1999–2000)
* Battle for Height 776
* Battle of Komsomolskoye
* 2000 Zhani-Vedeno ambush
* 2002 Khankala Mi-26 crash
* 2004 Nazran raid
* 2004 raid on Grozny
* 2005 raid on Nalchik
* Counter-insurgency operations
* Guerrilla phase
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008

Major attacks|

* 1995 Budyonnovsk hospital hostage crisis
* 1996 Black Sea hostage crisis
* MV Avrasya hijacking
* 1996 Kizlyar hostage crisis
* 1999 Vladikavkaz bombing
* 1999 Russian apartment bombings
* 1999 Tukhchar massacre
* 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis
* 2002 Grozny truck bombing
* 2003 Mozdok bombing
* 2003 Tushino bombing
* 2004 Moscow Metro bombing
* 2004 Russian aircraft bombings
* 2004 Beslan school siege
* 2008 Vladikavkaz bombing
* 2009 Nevsky Express bombing
* 2010 Moscow Metro bombings
* Domodedovo International Airport bombing
* 2012 Makhachkala attack
* 2014 Grozny bombing
* 2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing
* Crocus City Hall attack
* 2024 Dagestan attacks

Related topics|

* Chechen Revolution
* Battle of Grozny (November 1994)
* Censorship of Chechnya coverage
* Crimes and terrorism
* Mass graves
* Suicide attacks
* Assassinations
* Casualties
* Aircraft losses
* International response
* First Chechen War
* Second Chechen War
* Politics of Chechnya
* Chechenpress
* Kavkaz Center
* Chechen genocide

Wars in culture|

* List of films
* Polina Zherebtsova's Journal
* War
* The 3 Rooms of Melancholia
* The Pathologies
* Alexandra
* Angel of Grozny
* Ant in a Glass Jar
* The Search

Federalists|

| Combatants|

* Russian Federation
* Armed Forces
* Ground Forces
* Ministry of Internal Affairs
* OMON
* ODON
* Internal Troops
* Federal Security Service
* Main Intelligence Directorate
* Special Forces (Spetsnaz)
* Republic of Chechnya
* Kadyrovites

|

Leaders|

* Russian Federation
* Boris Yeltsin
* Dmitry Medvedev
* Vladimir Putin
* Alexander Lebed
* Pavel Grachev
* Gennady Troshev
* Chechnya
* † Akhmad Kadyrov
* Alu Alkhanov
* Ramzan Kadyrov
* † Dzhabrail Yamadayev
* † Ruslan Yamadayev
* † Sulim Yamadayev

Separatists|

| Combatants|

* Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
* Caucasian Front
* Vilayat Dagestan
* Vilayat Galgayche
* Vilayat Nokhchicho
* United Vilayat of Kabarda, Balkaria and Karachay
* Vilayat Cherkessia
* Vilayat Iriston
* Islamic Djamaat of Dagestan
* Liberation Army of Dagestan
* Alperen Hearths
* Grey Wolves

|

Leaders|

* † Dzhokhar Dudayev
* † Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev
* † Aslan Maskhadov
* † Abdul-Halim Sadulayev
* † Ruslan Gelayev
* † Shamil Basayev
* † Arbi Barayev
* † Salman Raduyev
* Akhmed Zakayev
* † Turpal-Ali Atgeriyev
* † Vakha Arsanov
* Ilyas Akhmadov
* † Movsar Barayev
* † Muslim Atayev
* † Rasul Makasharipov
* † Ilyas Gorchkhanov
* † Rappani Khalilov

Mujahideen|

| Combatants|

* Caucasus Emirate
* Mujahideen
* Islamic International Brigade
* Riyad-us Saliheen
* Islamic State – Caucasus Province

|

Leaders|

* † Magomed Suleimanov
* † Aliaskhab Kebekov
* † Dokka Umarov
* Aslambek Vadalov
* (POW) Ali Taziev
* † Anzor Astemirov
* † Supyan Abdullayev
* † Aslan Byutukayev
* Movladi Udugov
* † Khuseyn Gakayev
* (POW) Tarkhan Gaziyev
* † Said Buryatsky
* † Magomed Vagabov
* † Rustam Asildarov
* † Asker Dzhappuyev
* † Arthur Getagazhev
* † Ibn al-Khattab
* † Abu al-Walid
* † Abu Hafs al-Urduni
* † Muhannad
* † Abdulla Kurd
* † Zalim Shebzukhov

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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[POW]: Prisoner of war