Aslambek Vadalov
Encyclopedia
Aslambek Ilimsultanovich Vadalov , also known by his nom de guerre Emir Aslambek, is a Chechen
rebel leader fighting in the North Caucasus
. He was appointed the supreme leader of the Caucasus Emirate
on 1 August 2010, though this was later retracted.
region. Vadalov also seems to have spent much of his youth in the Gudermes region, though some reports have suggested that he studied for a short period of time in Moscow in the late 1980's, perhaps at a technical institute.
in 1994, Vadalov joined the separatist fighters from Gudermes; he may have served in the unit of Sheik Fathi, a Chechen who had lived in Jordan and engaged in Islamist conflicts in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It has been postulated that if Vadalov did indeed serve alongside Fathi, it would indicate a very early exposure to the Islamist interpretation of the war in Chechnya.
Though Vadalov played no role in the 1999 Dagestan incursion
led by Shamil Basayev
and Ibn al-Khattab
, following Russia's re-invasion of Chechnya that autumn he joined Khattab's Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
. After engaging in the battles for Argun
and Gudermes, Vadalov's unit withdrew to the mountainous districts of Vedeno
and Nozhay-Yurt in order to launch guerrilla attacks on Russian security forces.
In 2000, Vadalov returned to Ishkoy-Yurt for unknown reasons and joined a small, local guerrilla force; the unit operated both independently and in cooperation with other rebel formations, including taking part in the 17 September, 2001 attack on Gudermes. The next few years saw the separatist movement incur significant losses, but Vadalov was able to distinguish himself mainly due to his survival skills/ As such, he was named Deputy Commander of the Gudermes Region of the Chechen Armed Forces under Emir
Askhab. Although this unit that he commanded lacked manpower, his team and him were able to launch numerous small but significant attacks against the Russian security forces, especially around Ishkoy-Yurt.
Following Emir Askhab's death in early 2005, Vadalov was named Commander of the Gudermes region. However, while a capable small-unit commander, Vadalov struggled when in control of a larger fighting force that required a broader strategic perspective. His unit was eventually driven out of Gudermes proper and forced back into the highlands of Vedeno and Nozhay-Yurt. Despite these setbacks, he still maintained a reputation for "commitment to the cause and hard-fought guerrilla operations." He has been fighting with the Causasian Emirate rebels against Russian forces since 1994 and was apparently one of the first to swear allegiance to Doku Umarov in 2007.
His relationship with Amir Khattab is of significance. Previously he was the commander of the Eastern Front of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate, although in practice he was commanding a force of perhaps about 30-50 militants on the Ingushetian border.
said Vadalov had been announced as the new Emir of the Caucasus Emirate because of a "loss of confidence among his (Umarov's) subordinates. [The] Methods of Dokku Umarov, including attacks against civilians, were not supported by militants." He also said that Vadalov "is a supporter of other views and is not affected by ideologists of Wahhabism
." The Russian paper Kommersant
had reported that Zakayev, sentenced to death by the Sharia
Court of the Caucasus Emirate, had plans to establish contacts with Vadalov.
reported that Doku Umarov
had stepped down from his position as Emir
of the Caucasus Emirate
and appointed Vadalov to became his successor. On the video containing the anoncement Umarov states that "jihad should be led by younger and more energetic commanders." However, when the Kavkaz Center site was restored on-line after a "service break" on 3 August 2010, the original announcement had been replaced by one which stated, that Umarov only "proposed to appoint" Vadalov his successor. A few days later Umarov said he had no intention of stepping down and called the video announcing his resignation a fabrication.
On August 13, 2010 Kavkaz Center announced that Aslambek Vadalov had resigned from his post of Deputy Military Emir of the Caucasus Emirate.
In July 2011, a sharia
court ruled in favour of Umarov to close the rift caused by Umarov's reorganisation of the "armed forces" of Chechnya, the disbanding the so-called "eastern and south-western fronts" and dividing Chechnya into "military sectors." The court asked the rebels to re-swear allegiance to Umarov. Amir Khamzat, the commander of the Riyad-us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs or the organisation's suicide battalion who has been named the commander of the western sector. Hussein Gakayev
, who had been named to lead the eastern sector, Aslambek Vadalov and Tarkhan Gaziev consequently followed suit and re-affirmed their allegiance to Umarov.
Chechen people
Chechens constitute the largest native ethnic group originating in the North Caucasus region. They refer to themselves as Noxçi . Also known as Sadiks , Gargareans, Malkhs...
rebel leader fighting in the North Caucasus
North Caucasus
The North Caucasus is the northern part of the Caucasus region between the Black and Caspian Seas and within European Russia. The term is also used as a synonym for the North Caucasus economic region of Russia....
. He was appointed the supreme leader of the Caucasus Emirate
Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate also known as the Caucasian Emirate is a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, partially successor to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and was officially announced on October 31, 2007 by former President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov, who became the first Emir...
on 1 August 2010, though this was later retracted.
Biography
Aslambek Vadalov was born in 1972 and is a native of Ishkoy-Yurt, a village in the eastern portion of Chechnya's GudermesGudermes
Gudermes is a town in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located on the Sunzha River east of Grozny. Population: 32,000 .Gudermes had a rural locality status until 1941. Later, it became a railroad junction between Rostov-on-Don, Baku, Astrakhan, and Mozdok. Gudermes is home for oil extraction...
region. Vadalov also seems to have spent much of his youth in the Gudermes region, though some reports have suggested that he studied for a short period of time in Moscow in the late 1980's, perhaps at a technical institute.
Chechen War and rebel army
Following the outbreak of the First Chechen WarFirst Chechen War
The First Chechen War, also known as the War in Chechnya, was a conflict between the Russian Federation and the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, fought from December 1994 to August 1996...
in 1994, Vadalov joined the separatist fighters from Gudermes; he may have served in the unit of Sheik Fathi, a Chechen who had lived in Jordan and engaged in Islamist conflicts in Afghanistan and Tajikistan. It has been postulated that if Vadalov did indeed serve alongside Fathi, it would indicate a very early exposure to the Islamist interpretation of the war in Chechnya.
Though Vadalov played no role in the 1999 Dagestan incursion
Dagestan War
The invasion of Dagestan, also known as the War in Dagestan and Dagestan War, began on August 7, 1999, when the Chechnya-based Islamic International Brigade , an Islamist militia led by warlords Shamil Basayev and Ibn al-Khattab, invaded the neighbouring Russian republic of Dagestan in support of...
led by Shamil Basayev
Shamil Basayev
Shamil Salmanovich Basayev was a Chechen militant Islamist and a leader of the Chechen rebel movement.Starting as a field commander in the Transcaucasus, Basayev led guerrilla campaigns against the Russian troops for years, as well as launching mass-hostage takings of civilians, with his goal...
and Ibn al-Khattab
Ibn al-Khattab
Samir Saleh Abdullah Al-Suwailem , more commonly known as Emir Khattab meaning Commander Khattab, or Leader Khattab, and also known as Habib Abdul Rahman, was a Muslim guerilla fighter and financier working with Chechen Mujahideen in the First Chechen War...
, following Russia's re-invasion of Chechnya that autumn he joined Khattab's Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya
The Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya is an international unit of Islamist Mujahideen fighting in Chechnya and other parts of the North Caucasus....
. After engaging in the battles for Argun
Argun
Argun may refer to:*Argun , name of several inhabited localities in Russia*Argun River , a river in the Caucasus*Argun River , a river in Asia*Medemia argun, flowering plant in the Arecaceae family...
and Gudermes, Vadalov's unit withdrew to the mountainous districts of Vedeno
Vedeno
Vedeno is a rural locality in the Chechen Republic, Russia, located some southeast of Grozny. It is the administrative center of Vedensky District. Population: 11,512 ;...
and Nozhay-Yurt in order to launch guerrilla attacks on Russian security forces.
In 2000, Vadalov returned to Ishkoy-Yurt for unknown reasons and joined a small, local guerrilla force; the unit operated both independently and in cooperation with other rebel formations, including taking part in the 17 September, 2001 attack on Gudermes. The next few years saw the separatist movement incur significant losses, but Vadalov was able to distinguish himself mainly due to his survival skills/ As such, he was named Deputy Commander of the Gudermes Region of the Chechen Armed Forces under Emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
Askhab. Although this unit that he commanded lacked manpower, his team and him were able to launch numerous small but significant attacks against the Russian security forces, especially around Ishkoy-Yurt.
Following Emir Askhab's death in early 2005, Vadalov was named Commander of the Gudermes region. However, while a capable small-unit commander, Vadalov struggled when in control of a larger fighting force that required a broader strategic perspective. His unit was eventually driven out of Gudermes proper and forced back into the highlands of Vedeno and Nozhay-Yurt. Despite these setbacks, he still maintained a reputation for "commitment to the cause and hard-fought guerrilla operations." He has been fighting with the Causasian Emirate rebels against Russian forces since 1994 and was apparently one of the first to swear allegiance to Doku Umarov in 2007.
His relationship with Amir Khattab is of significance. Previously he was the commander of the Eastern Front of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate, although in practice he was commanding a force of perhaps about 30-50 militants on the Ingushetian border.
Ideology
Akhmed ZakayevAkhmed Zakayev
Akhmed Khalidovich Zakayev is the former Deputy Prime Minister and the current Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria , which is unrecognised by other countries...
said Vadalov had been announced as the new Emir of the Caucasus Emirate because of a "loss of confidence among his (Umarov's) subordinates. [The] Methods of Dokku Umarov, including attacks against civilians, were not supported by militants." He also said that Vadalov "is a supporter of other views and is not affected by ideologists of Wahhabism
Wahhabism
Wahhabism is a religious movement or a branch of Islam. It was developed by an 18th century Muslim theologian from Najd, Saudi Arabia. Ibn Abdul Al-Wahhab advocated purging Islam of what he considered to be impurities and innovations...
." The Russian paper Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
had reported that Zakayev, sentenced to death by the Sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
Court of the Caucasus Emirate, had plans to establish contacts with Vadalov.
Controversial appointment as "Emir of the Caucasus Emirate"
On 1 August 2010 the "state web site" of the Caucasus Emirate, Kavkaz CenterKavkaz Center
The Kavkaz Center is a privately run website by pro-Chechen which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic" that "does not represent the viewpoint of any state structures"...
reported that Doku Umarov
Doku Umarov
Doku Khamatovich Umarov is a major Chechen Islamist rebel militant in Russia. He is responsible for numerous terror attacks on civilians, earning himself the nickname "Russia's Osama Bin Laden"....
had stepped down from his position as Emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
of the Caucasus Emirate
Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate also known as the Caucasian Emirate is a self-proclaimed virtual state entity, partially successor to the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and was officially announced on October 31, 2007 by former President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov, who became the first Emir...
and appointed Vadalov to became his successor. On the video containing the anoncement Umarov states that "jihad should be led by younger and more energetic commanders." However, when the Kavkaz Center site was restored on-line after a "service break" on 3 August 2010, the original announcement had been replaced by one which stated, that Umarov only "proposed to appoint" Vadalov his successor. A few days later Umarov said he had no intention of stepping down and called the video announcing his resignation a fabrication.
On August 13, 2010 Kavkaz Center announced that Aslambek Vadalov had resigned from his post of Deputy Military Emir of the Caucasus Emirate.
Rift with Umarov
Days after Umarov rescinded his resignation, Vadalov was said to have renounced adherence of an oath given to Umarov; however it was said that while he ceases subordination to Umarov, he would remain loyal to the larger Caucasus Emirate.In July 2011, a sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
court ruled in favour of Umarov to close the rift caused by Umarov's reorganisation of the "armed forces" of Chechnya, the disbanding the so-called "eastern and south-western fronts" and dividing Chechnya into "military sectors." The court asked the rebels to re-swear allegiance to Umarov. Amir Khamzat, the commander of the Riyad-us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs or the organisation's suicide battalion who has been named the commander of the western sector. Hussein Gakayev
Hussein Gakayev
Khuseyn Vakhaevich Gakayev , also known as Emir Mansur and Emir Hussein, is a mujahid Emir fighting in Chechnya...
, who had been named to lead the eastern sector, Aslambek Vadalov and Tarkhan Gaziev consequently followed suit and re-affirmed their allegiance to Umarov.