Islamic State spreads tentacles to Russia as Chechnya militants pledge allegiance to leader Baghdadi
New alliance marks first time the terror group has made a territorial claim in Russia and becomes the latest addition to its rapidly expanding portfolio of terror franchises
By Roland Oliphant, Moscow
24 Jun 2015
Islamic State has claimed a swathe of southern Russia as a “province” of its emirate after fighters there pledged allegiance to the group, opening a new front on Europe’s doorstep.
Thousands of Islamist fighters from the region this week pledged allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Isil, in a video filmed in the Muslim republic of Chechnya.
Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, Isil’s spokesman, appointed a new "governor" of the Caucasus, calling on all “mujahideen” to recognise his authority “and obey him in everything except sin.”
The move appears to sideline the current leadership of the Caucasus Emirate, an umbrella group of smaller extremist groups in Chechnya, Daghestan and Ingushetia, who have fought to break away from Russian rule for decades.
Mr Adnani declared that the Caucasus would form a new province of the self-proclaimed Caliphate, marking the first time the terror group has made a territorial claim in Russia and becomes the latest addition to its rapidly expanding portfolio of terror franchises.
Al-Baghdadi called on jihadi fighters across the world to follow his lead in June of last year, when he declared himself head of the "Caliphate". Since then, dozens of groups in Africa, Asia and the Middle East have sworn allegiance.
Several thousand citizens of former Soviet states, including Chechens and other Russian citizens from the North Caucasus republics, are believed to be fighting alongside Isil and other groups in Syria and Iraq.
It is believed 400 Chechen extremists have died in battle fighting with Islamic State in Syria and Iraq since 2011.
The Caucuses Emirate, which is classified by the UK has a terrorist group and claims to have more than 15,000 fighters, has claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks in Russia, including suicide bombings of the Moscow metro and Domodedovo airport in 2010 and 2011.
Terrorist attacks have waned in recent years as the group struggled under the twin pressures of a crackdown by the Russian security services and an outflow of fighters to Syria and Iraq.
Russian Caucasus-watchers fear the new affiliation with Isil could breathe new life into the insurgency that has recently been relatively stagnant.
“Part of it is clearly for the Caucasians to show the world that they are now part of a very powerful international organisation, and we may see some symbols of this union in the near future - and that could well come in the form of terrorist attacks,” said Alexey Malashenko, an expert in Caucasus affairs at the Moscow Carnegie Centre.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...nts-pledge-allegiance-to-leader-Baghdadi.html
