Rustam Asildarov (Aselderov) (9 March 1981 – 3 December 2016), also known as Emir Abu Muhammad Kadarsky,[2] was the leader of the Islamic State (IS) North Caucasus branch, and a former leader of the militant Caucasus Emirate's Vilayat Dagestan wing.
Rustam Asildarov | |
|---|---|
| Рустам Магомедович Асельдеров | |
| Wali of Wilayah al-Qawkaz | |
| In office 23 June 2015 – 3 December 2016 | |
| Preceded by | Position created |
| Emir of the Dagestani Front | |
| In office 8 August 2012 – January 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Ibragimkhalil Daudov |
| Succeeded by | Kamil Saidov (Said Kharakansky) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 March 1981 Buynaksky District, Kalmyk ASSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 3 December 2016 (aged 35) near Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia |
| Nationality | Dargin |
| Nickname | Emir Abu Muhammad |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Caucasus Emirate (former)[1] Islamic State |
| Commands | Dagestan Front (former) Caucasus Province |
| Battles/wars | Insurgency in the North Caucasus |
Biography
editAsildarov grew up in the Kadar region of the Buynaksky District in Russia's republic of Dagestan. During the late 1990s, the area became a regional center of Salafism and had de facto independence, before military operations in September 1999 brought it back under the control of the Russian state.[3]
Asildarov became the leader of Vilayat Dagestan's Central Sector in May 2010,[4] and on 8 August 2012, Caucasus Emirate's leader, Dokka Umarov, appointed Asildarov as the overall leader of Vilayat Dagestan, following the death of Ibragimkhalil Daudov.[5]
In December 2014, a video clip of Asildarov was posted online, in which he retracted his oath of allegiance to Umarov's successor, Aliaskhab Kebekov, and pledged loyalty to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Kebekov responded days later with a video, in which he condemned Asildarov's "betrayal" and appointed Kamil Saidov as the new leader of Vilayat Dagestan.[1][6]
In an audio statement on 23 June 2015, IS's spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani accepted pledges of allegiance to the group made by North Caucasus militants, and announced the creation of a new Wilayat or Province covering the region. Adnani declared the leader of this new branch to be Abu Muhammad al-Qadari, a pseudonym of Asildarov.[7][8]
On 29 September 2015, the United States Department of State added Asildarov to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists.[9]
On 3 December 2016, the FSB announced that Asildarov and four close associates had been killed in an anti-terror raid near Makhachkala, Dagestan.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ a b Liz Fuller (2 January 2015). "Six North Caucasus Insurgency Commanders Transfer Allegiance To Islamic State". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "Dagestani Militants Experience Series of Setbacks". The Jamestown Foundation. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Jamestown Foundation (14 September 2012). "Dagestan Remains the Deadliest Republic of the North Caucasus".
- ^ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (26 August 2012). "Umarov Names New Commander Of Insurgency In Daghestan".
- ^ Амир ИК Докку Абу Усман назначил Абу Мухаммада амиром Дагестана. vDagestan (in Russian). 25 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
- ^ "Dagestani jihadist swears allegiance to Islamic State, invoking backlash". Long War Journal. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ "ISIS Declares Governorate in Russia's North Caucasus Region". Institute for the Study of War. 23 June 2015.
ISIS's spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani declared the creation of a new wilayat, or governorate, in the North Caucasus region of Russia on June 23, 2015. Al-Adnani named "Abu Mohammad al-Qadari" the leader of the group, and congratulated "the soldiers of the Islamic State" in the Caucasus.
- ^ "Two North Caucasus Rebel Leaders Face Off in Islamic State–Caucasus Emirate Dispute". The Jamestown Foundation. 26 June 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has supposedly appointed Abu Muhammad Kadarsky (Rustam Asildarov) as the amir of the newly-established Velayat Kavkaz.
- ^ "Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters". State.gov. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2014.