Syrian Rebels Join Chechen-led Army: No Difference between Syria and Russia

Wednesday, 3 April 2013

Syrian Rebels Join Chechen-led Army: No Difference between Syria and Russia

A commander of the so-called “Caucasus Emirate”, Abu Omar al-Chechen, has formed the so-called ‘Jaish al-Muhajireen wal Ansar,” or Army of the Emigrants and Helpers, and recruited several Syrian militants within its ranks.

Abu Omar was the commander of the Brigade al Muhajireen (Brigade of the Emigrants), which fights alongside Nosra Front, linked to al-Qaeda, against the Syrian government.

According to a Chechen extremist website, a unit of the Emigrants ‘Brigade militants under the command of Abu Omar al-Chechen, was joined by several brigades of Syrian militants in March 2013, including Kataeb Khattab (Khattab Brigades), and Jaish Mohammad (Army of Mohammad), after which it was decided to reorganize the structure of the Brigade. As a result, Jaish al Muhajireen wal Ansar (Army of Emigrants and Helpers) was created.

The Army of Emigrants and Helpers is fighting primarily in the province of Aleppo and claims to have more than 1,000 militants from different countries, including Russian regions,

A video showing Syrian rebels swearing an oath of loyalty to Abu Omar al-Chechen, who is seen in the background, was posted online. Hundreds of militants are seen in the video, and some are flying the al-Qaeda flag.

In the video, another commander, Emir Saifullah, said, "We came here to establish the Shariah law,” stating that no distinctions should be made between the different battlefield.
“To us, there is no difference between Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, the Caucasus, any place,” he said.

Chechen fighters, often described as fighters from the Caucasus and southern Russia, have been seen on the Syrian battlefield for months. In October 2012, a group of Chechen emigrants is known to have fought, along with a Free Syrian Army unit, and under the command of Nosra Front to take the control of an air defense base near Aleppo.

Dokku Abu Usman, emir of the “Caucasus Emirate”, has praised the militants in Syria as well as the fighters from the Caucasus. In November 2012, he delivered a speech calling for the “destruction of Assad´s regime.”