Doku Umarov declares Islamic Caucasus Emirate

While al Qaeda in Chechnya and the greater Chechnya rebel movement has suffered a serious setback over the past two years, a nucleus of the terror movement remains. Doku Umarov, one of the last remaining original leaders of the Chechen rebellion and a close associate of al Qaeda, has declared an Islamic emirate in the greater Caucasus region.
On November 22, the Kavkaz Center, an al Qaeda-linked website promoting the jihad in Chechnya, published Umarov's declaration of the Caucasian Emirate. Umarov, who is now the "Amir of Mujahideen in Caucasus," emphasized the importance of implementing sharia, or Islamic law, and the responsibility of Muslims to "fight the infidels."
"We, the Mujahideen, went out to fight the infidels not for the sake of fighting but to restore the Sharia of Allah in our land," said Umarov. "I declare ethnic, territorial and colonial zones carrying names of 'North-Caucasian republics', 'Trans-Caucasian Republics' and other such terms as outlawed."
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