– Ramzan, Jama’ats play a special role in Chechen Resistance; as a rule they are ranked among the radical wing of the force fighting against Russian Army in the Caucuses.

– Jama’at means ‘a community of people’ in Arabic. But in Chechnya by Jama’at they mean militant groups led by an ‘amir’ (commander) who are fighting in the name of Allah. This is where we are fundamentally different from other Chechens who have taken up arms to defend their Motherland, to fight for Chechnya’s independence. For us the most important thing is not the status of our republic but the impossibility to resign ourselves to the order they are foisting upon us, which is alien to Muslims. We believe that Muslims cannot live according to kafirs’ (infidels’) laws; Muslims have their own laws given to them by the Almighty. These laws are called Shari’a. We are fighting to establish the laws of Allah, Shari’a laws in our land.

– And is there a difference between the ways Jama’at members and other fighters act in battle conditions?

– I think there is a difference. Jama’at fighters are more disciplined, they don’t smoke or drink. They keep to all the rules imposed by Islam, they sense more keenly the power of Allah and his influence in our everyday life.

– Please, tell me what is the current situation inside the Resistance and in Chechnya in general?

– During this year there have been big changes in the Resistance, organisational as well as military. In summer last year we started the process of uniting our forces and to-date I can say it’s as good as finished. We have successfully overcome our differences and have now created a single structure to manage our troops. As you probably know, Chechnya can be divided into three areas. The area to the north of the Terek river we call the Northern Front, the rest is the Western Front (west of the Argun river) and the Eastern Front (east of the Argun river). Doku Umarov commands the Western Front, Abu al-Valid commands the Eastern. The territory on the border between Chechnya and Ingushetia is responsibility of Commander Khamzat (Rouslan) Ghelaev.

As for Jama’ats, I want to say that while we continue to receive financial and material support from our chief amir Abu al-Valid, those of us who operate in Western Chechnya and in Ingushetia, are under command of Umarov and Ghelaev respectively. This fact alone demonstrates that we all follow implicitly the order established by the leadership of Chechen Resistance.

Our Jama’at together with our brothers from other groups was very effective in Ingushetia in summer. Every two weeks we blew up the enemy’s armoured vehicles on the mountain roads between the villages of Nesterovskaya and Alkhast, Galashki and Mouzhichi, Galashki and Dattykh etc. On 25 May we carried out a successful operation against a Russian Army sub-unit near the village of Arshty on the border with Chechnya. We attacked a large garrison using heavy weapons (large-calibre machine guns and mortars), rockets and anti-tank guided missiles. Russian losses were so heavy that, as it became known to us from our source in the 58th Army’s Military Prosecutor’s Office (the army stationed in the Caucuses on the permanent basis – A.S.), criminal proceedings were instigated against the unit commander. He was accused of choosing the incorrect position which led to "unjustifiably heavy losses among personnel".

We also attacked a military unit in Nadterechnyi District in Chechnya near the village of Goragorskiy. This time the enemy took casualties of 26 dead. We also carried out a reconnaissance raid into Northern Ossetia; in a large force we came up to the training unit of the 58th Army near Kormagor village. I personally watched through binoculars the drill of unarmed servicemen – they were the entrants of the military college. I repeat, that was only a training raid.
– From your words I can assume that you operate not only in Chechnya but all over the North Caucuses.

– Yes, very much so. Not only we carry out raids to various areas in the Caucuses, we also form local Jama’ats, militant sabotage groups, there. We are joined by a lot of Kabarda men, Daghestanis, Karachaevs, Ingushs and even Ossetians (Muslims).

– That means that those in Russia who say that you want to create a caliphate in the Caucuses from one sea to another, are right?

– Yes, it is so. [If] they don’t wish to negotiate with us then we shall do what we can. And there is a lot we can do. Next year the war will seize all the Caucuses from the Caspian to the Black Sea. Apart from Ossetia and Ingushetia, this year another guerrilla war has already started in two areas of Daghestan bordering Chechnya. I swear by Allah, this is only the beginning. Russian authorities are well aware of this and therefore are trying to organise formations of the local residents in the area who could resist us effectively. Similar process is taking place in Chechnya. But it will come to precisely nothing. Having reached a certain level of confrontation inside Chechnya, Russia sooner or later will have to withdraw its troops beyond the Terek, for instance. In that case we will need no more than two weeks to destroy all the pro-Russian puppet formations.

– Ramzan, I would like to go back to the beginning of our conversation. From what you said about Jama’ats, I understand that you look towards solely Muslim world, the Arab countries. But how would you explain the fact that Kadyrov’s election as Chechen President wasn’t recognised by any Western, Christian countries, but by Islamic international organisations, who recognised it and sent their observers to the elections?

– Most Muslim countries’ leaderships have as much to do with Islamic world as FSB officer mufti of Ingushetia Albogachiev. Common Muslims help us and we are grateful for their support. By the way, I quite accept that Western governments and their security services also secretly finance us through different Islamic funds and organisations. I am convinced that there are Western powers in whose interests it is to keep Russia permanently involved into such a slow-burning conflict as war in the Caucuses.

– It is known that Jama’at fighters are armed and equipped better than other Chechen groups. This is to do with the fact that you have foreign support. Do you ever have conflicts within the Resistance because of this?

– We do sometimes. But if a commander cannot look after his men, he is simply a bad commander.

– Do the people who help you, ask for anything in return?

– The most important thing for them is that the money is used for the war, for jihad, and that those who receive it are true Muslims.

– And what does it mean, to be a true Muslim? Many people in Chechnya call you vakhabits and accuse you of all the mortal sins. [They say] that you forbid to rise when somebody of older age enters (there is such a rule in Chechnya – A.S.), that you are for marriage between siblings.

– Prophet Mohammed forbade the Arabs to marry their sisters, nearest relatives and sisters of the brides of brothers but he allowed to marry cousins. As for the rule to rise before those of older age, we are against practising this in mosques during prayer but our spiritual leaders have never forbidden this in everyday life.

We differ from others because we put special emphasis on social and political structures’ in Muslin countries being in line with Koran and Sunni (life) of the Prophet. We are prepared to explain and have a debate on our position in an open discussion but they wouldn’t allow us to do so. People like Albogachiev who I’ve already mentioned, don’t allow us to talk about it during preaching in mosques. Special instructions in Islam forbid to discuss social issues, which is why mullahs only explain the basic rules of the religion – how to fast, how to pray etc. Those who break the rules are punished and labelled vakhabits. For example, in the village of Plievo (Ingushetia) a mosque was closed three months ago. It was closed for no other reason than mullah’s breaking the rules, and also because it was popular with young people. They’ve put three padlocks on the door.

– But apart from other things, you were also accused of kidnapping people during the second war in Chechnya.

– Yes, it happened. Those of us who practised this I would divide into two categories. First are plain bandits who sided with us but are now with Kadyrov. They are, for instance, Movladi from Kadyrov’s security service and also his recently assassinated brother Shani, close aid to Rizvan Kadyrov (head of Security Service). We are grateful to Allah that such individuals have left our ranks.

But there were also those among us who vindicated such crimes. They used to say that Russia, the Russians, didn’t stick to the conditions of peace and that meant that they could be kidnapped for ransom. They were saying that although Yeltsyn had sighed peaceful agreement with Maskhadov, Russian security services continued to operate in our land. And we should answer back in the same way. The names of amirs who believed this are well-known. I won’t mention them.

– What do you think about the actions of those who seized Nord-Ost, organised explosion in Tushino airfield, etc.?

– I support them fully. I don’t believe we should separate Russian Government from the Russian people. It’s Russian soldiers who are fighting in our land, they are the ones who kill our children, wives, the elderly. Russian pilots bomb out cities and villages.

They don’t want to talk to us, they ignore us, so we shall give them a dose of their own medicine. We have no aircraft, so we shall blow ourselves up in Russian cities. I’ve been in Russia recently, checking the situation in the train stations in Rostov and Mineralnye Vody. These train stations are not guarded well and there are freight trains with oil and chemicals. We shall definitely repeat Nord-Ost but this time it will be something of a technological disaster. I don’t know how to blow up a chemical works but if somebody explains it to me, I’ll do it. If Putin thinks that industrial and military establishments are well-protected, he is mistaken. They are not.

– And what does Maskhadov think about it?

– We trust Maskhadov fully, he is our president and Supreme Commander. We’ll obey any order he gives. I don’t think he would be against spreading the military action to all the Caucuses and all Russia. And what else can we do if not expand the war zone?

– If Maskhadov orders you to stop the war, will you obey such an
order from him?

– Gladly. Despite my stern statements, I am not the man who enjoys the war, the violence. I know what I’m capable of, I know that I could earn a living in peaceful times, working peacefully. But this war has been foisted upon us, and in this hour of need I must be with my fellow Muslims, with my people. And I am certain that we will prevail. We are now ready for victory, both morally and psychologically. If last year there was no unity among us, today we are as united as ever. And we shall fight until our voice is heard by the other side. And we shall make them hear it.