Ajnad al-Kavkaz
Ajnad al-Kavkaz (AK or AAK; Arabic: أجناد القوقاز ‘Ajnād al-Qawqāz; lit. 'Soldiers of the Caucasus')[16] is a Chechen-led[2] Salafi jihadist militant group in northwestern Syria, operating primarily in the mountainous and forested areas of Latakia Governorate. Although it was formed by former fighters of the Caucasus Emirate and was tentatively linked to the organization,[23] AK operated autonomously from the beginning and later cut ties with the Caucasus Emirate.[12] Though it had become "the largest of the Muslim factions from the former Soviet Union fighting in Syria"[7] by September 2016, AK's activity dwindled in the following years.[24] In 2022, the group's centre of operations shifted from Syria to Ukraine, as most AK militants had begun mobilizing to fight against the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5] As of 2023, AK has largely been engaged in the Battle of Bakhmut in Ukraine.
Ajnad al-Kavkaz
2015[6]–present
Army of Conquest[12] (formerly)
- 2015 Idlib offensive
- Northwestern Syria offensive (April–June 2015)[15]
- 2015–16 Latakia offensive[16]
- 2016 Latakia offensive[17]
- Battle of Aleppo (2012–2016)
- 2016 Hama offensive[18]
- Hama offensive (March–April 2017)[19]
- Northwestern Syria campaign (October 2017–February 2018)[20][21]
- Northwestern Syria offensive (April–August 2019)
- Northwestern Syria offensive (December 2019–March 2020)
History[edit]
Foundation[edit]
In course of the Second Chechen War's last phase around 2009, numerous Caucasus Emirate fighters temporarily moved to Turkey, often for medical treatment, but were thereafter unable to return to Russia to continue their insurgency. Thus stranded, the militants settled down in Turkey and Syria in involuntary exile, though continued to plan their eventual return to their homelands in North Caucasus. Their situation changed dramatically, however, when the Syrian Civil War broke out in 2011, as the Chechen militants picked up their weapons again, formed many militias and joined local Syrian Islamists in their rebellion against Bashar al-Assad's government.[1][2][6][7]
The two small militias which later founded Ajnad al-Kavkaz were initially active in the Latakia and Quneitra Governorates: The first one was Jamaat al-Khilafa al-Qawqazia ("the Caucasian Caliphate Group"), which had been founded in 2013[6] and was led by Abdul Hakim al-Shishani.[9] Abdul Hakim had been commander of the central sector of the Caucasus Emirate's Vilayat Nokhchicho in 2007–09,[1] and his unit consisted of veterans of the Second Chechen War.[6] The second one was Jamaat Jund al-Qawqaz ("Group of Soldiers of the Caucasus"), a small militia of Islamist Circassians from the Golan Heights and Jordan, which soon pledged allegiance (bay'ah) to Abdul Hakim. Both were initially members of Ansar al-Sham, and were loosely affiliated with the Caucasus Emirate.[9][23]
The two groups eventually left Ansar al-Sham in 2014,[8][a] while Jamaat Jund al-Qawqaz was strengthened when Ahrar al-Sharkas ("The Free Circassians") in Quneitra joined their group in November 2014.[23] The two groups eventually fully merged under Abdul Hakim's leadership in spring 2015 and adopted the name "Ajnad al-Kavkaz".[6][22][26]
Ideology[edit]
Ajnad al-Kavkaz follows a Sunni Islamic fundamentalist and Jihadist ideology, and wants to spread Islam and the Sharia worldwide.[7] However, journalist Humam Issa argued that despite being jihadist, the militia was still rather "moderate" and "did not interfere in the affairs of the Syrian local community".[5] The group's primary aim, however, is to remove the Russian presence in North Caucasus and to establish an Islamic state there, though Abdul Hakim al-Shishani has claimed that these goals are currently unattainable, primarily due to Russia's power.[7][6] Instead, he believes that sooner or later a world war against Russia will break out,[7] which would allow the North Caucasians to launch a popular, violent uprising to regain their independence from Russia. According to Abdul Hakim, peaceful protests and resistance, though admirable, will never be able to end the Russian rule of the North Caucasus.[7][6] Ajnad al-Kavkaz is also critical of the economic situation in Russia, and its members believe that the Russian government uses propaganda to distract its people from the widespread economic problems.[21]
Despite this great focus on the eventual conquest of North Caucasus and the reverence for the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria as "glorious chapter in the history of [the Chechen] nation", Abdul Hakim claims that Ajnad al-Kavkaz is not a Chechen nationalist group. Instead, Ajnad al-Kavkaz regards all its activities (including the war against the Assad government) as part of a wider Muslim struggle for freedom and against Russia. Due to these beliefs, Abdul Hakim is very bitter about his group being labelled "terrorists" at the hands of the West. He says that his men do not "kill women, children, or the elderly", and that they only "want to overthrow tyranny. That’s all."[7][6] After several Ajnad al-Kavkaz members moved to Ukraine, one of the group's commanders explained their support for mostly non-Muslim Ukraine was rooted in the fact that "every enemy of Russia is a friend of ours. Also, the Ukrainian people are oppressed, and Islam commanded us to support the oppressed, let alone if the oppressor is a common enemy to us".[5]