The American Committee for Peace in the Caucasus

ACPC Weekly News UPDATE
July 26, 2010 – August 2, 2010

Militant leader Umarov steps down, names replacement

Doku Umarov, the 46-year old self-proclaimed Emir of the Caucasus Emirate, announced his resignation in a video posted online on Monday, August 2 and named Aslambek Vadalov, a close aide and longtime militant, as his replacement. Umarov cited health problems for the decision to step down and stated that the “younger and more energetic” Vadalov would be able to bring “different results.” The exact date the video was recorded has not been established and no official announcement has been made by Russian intelligence services about its authenticity.

Umarov fought against federal troops in both of the Chechen campaigns and in 2006 succeeded Abdul-Khalim Sadulayev as the leader of Ichkeria. In 2007, Umarov announced the creation of the Caucasus Emirate, whose objective is to establish a North Caucasus Islamic state. He is credited with reviving the infamous Riyad-us Salikheyn Battalion, which took responsibility for the Beslan school massacre in 2004, but became defunct with the death of the then militant leader Shamil Basayev. Riyad-us Salikheyn has taken responsibility for the recent wave of suicide bombings, following the lifting of the Counter-Terrorist Operation regime in Chechnya in April 2009, including the deadly Moscow subway suicide attack in May, 2010.