Yarmuk Jamaat

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Yarmuk Jamaat


caption=
dates= 2002-Present
allegiance=
type= Infantry
size=
battles= Second Chechen War
commander1= Muslim AtayevKIA
Anzor Astemirov
commander1_label= Commanders

Yarmuk Jamaat is a militant Islamist organization connected to numerous attacks against the local and federal security forces in Russian region of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus. It became part of the Caucasian Front of the Second Chechen War.

History

In the late 1990s, intolerance of religious dissent by Valery Kokov, the administrator of the Kabardino-Balkaria region, forced many Muslim organizations to go underground.

The Jamaat of Kabardino-Balkaria became one of these organizations and many of its members fled to Chechnya for paramilitary training, reportedly under Ruslan Gelayev. After their training, these members returned and formed the current paramilitary off-shoot in 2002. [ [http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=13142 ISN Security Watch - Repression, resentment fuel violence in Russia ] ] The Jamestown Foundation reported that volunteers had indeed been operation in the North Caucasus, but that the Yarmuk Jamaat was officially established in August 2004 by Muslim Atayev. [ [http://www.jamestown.org/docs/McGregor-14Sep06.pdf Military Jama’ats in the North Caucasus] ]

The insurgency network in Kabardino-Balkaria was originally established by the Shagen brothers, who were Kabardins. In 2003, the brothers arranged for Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev to visit Kabardino-Balkaria. Both brothers were killed later that same year. Mussa Mukozhoyev was the self-proclaimed emir of the Jamaat and was widely known to be a moderate. He told "We are not fools. We don't want to bring the Chechen war into our homes," But even then, he explained, it was becoming harder and harder to hold back extremists intent on Jihad against the Russians they considered to be their oppressors. Those more radical members went on to form Yarmuk.

Yarmuk Jamaat issued a statement in January 2004 outlining their rationale for violent action and basing their turn toward violence on the Hanbali school of religious law, one of the four main schools within Sunni Islam. [ [http://www.belgraviadispatch.com/archives/cat_terrorism.html THE BELGRAVIA DISPATCH: Terrorism Archives ] ]

It's current leader, Anzor Astemirov took credit for the idea of establishing the Caucasus Emirate which was proclaimed in late 2007 by President of Ichkeria Doku Umarov.

Notable Events

* 2005 Nalchik raid
* Assassination of Anatoly Kyarov

Membership

Although both Kabardins and Balkars participate in the organization, it is believed that most of the fighters are Balkars.

Identified male members

*Muslim Atayev (deceased, 1/27/05), former leader until his death. [ [http://www.jamestown.org/edm/article.php?article_id=2369185 Who Is Behind Yarmuk Jamaat: Balkars Or Kabardins? - Eurasia Daily Monitor ] ]
*Rusam Bekanov (deceased, 4/29/05), leader after Atayev. He was killed in a shootout at a checkpoint 3 months after he became leader. [ [http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=409&issue_id=3320&article_id=2369698 The Jamestown Foundation ] ]
*Anzor Astemirov, current leader after Bekanov, he is believed to have led the Nalchik raid. [ [http://en.rian.ru/russia/20051014/41771970.html RIA Novosti - Russia - Roundup: Nalchik operations continue, city starts returning to normal ] ]
*Buzdzhigit Atmurzaev (deceased, 1/27/05), killed in the same raid that killed Atayev.
*Mukhtar Batchaev (deceased 4/29/05), originally from Nalchik.
*Ismail Baluev (captured 4/29/05), originally from outside Nalchik. Captured at checkpoint where Bekanov was killed.
*Ilyas Bichekuev (deceased, 1/27/05), deputy to Muslim Atayev killed in the same raid that killed Atayev.
*Boris Blimgotov (deceased, 4/29/05), originally from Karachaevsk, he was killed with Bekanov at the checkpoint.
*Rashid Khulamkhanov (deceased), killed in the first skirmish between Yarmuk Jamaat and law enforcement.
*Magomed Temirezov, (status unknown), believed to be killed with Bekanov.
*Mussa Mukozhoyev, original leader of the Jamaat group.
*Ruslan Odizhev (deceased 6/27/07), believed to have participated in the Nalchik raid. He was killed during a raid in Nalchik. [ [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aeb.xEMH.EK0&refer=home Bloomberg.com: Worldwide ] ]
*Anzor Tengizov (deceased 6/27/07), killed with Odizhev in Nalchik.
*Murat Zhabelov (deceased), killed in the first skirmish between Yarmuk Jamaat and law enforcement.
*Magomed Zhantuev (captured 4/29/05), originally from Nalchik. Captured at checkpoint where Bekanov was killed.

Identified female members

*Zhanista Baykazieva (deceased, 1/27/05)
*Sakinat Katsieva (deceased, 1/27/05), Muslim Atayev's wife. She was killed in the same raid that killed her husband. [ [http://jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?articleid=2371387 Yarmuk Vows To Maintain "Jihad" ] ]
*Zukhra Semenova (deceased, 1/27/05)
*Olesya Trunova (deceased, 1/27/05), Buzdzhigit Atmurzaev's wife. A converted Russian woman, she was killed in the same raid that killed her husband.

References