Caucasus Emirate
The Caucasus Emirate (Chechen: Имарат Кавказ, romanized: Imarat Kavkaz, IK; Russian: Кавказский эмират, romanized: Kavkazskiy emirat), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a jihadist organisation active in rebel-held parts of Syria and previously in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Its intention was to expel the Russian presence from the North Caucasus and to establish an independent Islamic emirate in the region. The Caucasus Emirate also referred to the state that the group sought to establish. The creation of Caucasus Emirate was announced on 7 October 2007, by Chechen warlord Dokka Umarov, who became its first self-declared "emir".
| Caucasus Emirate | |
|---|---|
| Имарат Кавказ (Chechen) Кавказский эмират (Russian) | |
The Black Standard. | |
| Leaders |
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| Dates of operation | 7 October 2007 – August 2016 (Possible activity of the group detected in 2023) |
| Headquarters | North Caucasus |
| Active regions | Russia, Syria, Iraq, Georgia, and Azerbaijan |
| Ideology | |
| Size | 400–1500, as of 2010 |
| Opponents | Russia Syria Georgia Azerbaijan Armenia |
| Battles and wars | |
By late 2015, the group no longer had a visible presence in the North Caucasus, as most of its members defected to the local Islamic State affiliate, Vilayat Kavkaz.