Russia: Some chechen commanders reaffirm loyalty to Doku Umarov leader of Caucasus Emirate
In a move that self-styled Caucasus Emirate head and insurgency commander Doku Umarov has hailed as marking “a new page” in the ongoing jihad against the Russian presence in the North Caucasus, several of the senior Chechen commanders who one year ago split with Umarov have reaffirmed their allegiance to him.
Their reasons for doing so remain unclear, however, as does the position of several of their most respected fellow commanders.
The catalyst for the split in the ranks of the Chechen insurgents was Umarov’s retraction last August, just days after it was posted to the Internet, of an announcement that he was stepping down as emir, and proposing as his successor veteran commander Aslanbek Vadalov.
Vadalov, together with fellow commanders Khusayn Gakayev and Tarkhan Gaziyev and the Arab fighter Mohannad, formally withdrew his oath of allegiance to Umarov. The four men accused Umarov of acting autocratically, without ever consulting his subordinates.