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 byPosition created
Emir of the Dagestani Front
In office
8 August 2012 – January 2015
Preceded byIbragimkhalil Daudov
Succeeded byKamil Saidov (Said Kharakansky)
Personal details
Born(1981-03-09)9 March 1981
Buynaksky District, Kalmyk ASSR, Soviet Union
Died3 December 2016(2016-12-03) (aged 35)
near Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia
NationalityDargin
NicknameEmir Abu Muhammad
Military service
AllegianceCaucasus Emirate (former)[1]
Islamic State
CommandsDagestan Front (former)
Caucasus Province
Battles/warsInsurgency in the North Caucasus

Biography

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Asildarov 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

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ "Dagestani Militants Experience Series of Setbacks". The Jamestown Foundation. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. ^ Jamestown Foundation (14 September 2012). "Dagestan Remains the Deadliest Republic of the North Caucasus".
  4. ^ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (26 August 2012). "Umarov Names New Commander Of Insurgency In Daghestan".
  5. ^ Амир ИК Докку Абу Усман назначил Абу Мухаммада амиром Дагестана. vDagestan (in Russian). 25 August 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Dagestani jihadist swears allegiance to Islamic State, invoking backlash". Long War Journal. 31 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
  7. ^ "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.
  8. ^ "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.
  9. ^ "Designations of Foreign Terrorist Fighters". State.gov. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2014.