Shariat Jamaat

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Shariat Jamaat


caption=
dates= 2002-Present
allegiance=
type= Infantry
size=
battles= Second Chechen War
commander1= Rasul MakasharipovKIA
Rappani KhalilovKIA
Abdul Madzhid
commander1_label= Commanders

Shariat Jamaat, officially the Islamic Jamaat of Dagestan Shariat, is a militant Islamist organization connected to numerous attacks against the local and federal security forces in Russian region of Dagestan in the North Caucasus. It's part of the Caucasian Front of the Second Chechen War. The Jamaat is thought to be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of policemen, military personnel and local officials.

History

Shariat Jamaat, is closely associated with the separatist conflict in nearby Chechnya and Ingushetia, and was established by Rasul Makasharipov following the destruction of his Dzhennet group (Arabic: "Paradise"). [http://eng.kavkaz.memo.ru/newstext/engnews/id/755035.html] . After moving to Chechnya, Makasharipov went back to his home-land Dagestan and organized the Shariat Jamaat group which, since 2002, has been attacking Russian troops, judges and Russian loyalist in Dagestan. Shariat Jamaat was created in favor of Chechnya's and Dagestan's independence during the Second Chechen War. Rasul Makasharipov created Shariat Jamaat in 2002, which in May 2005 became part of the Caucasian Front established by then president of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Abdul-Halim Sadulayev after the death of Aslan Maskhadov.

The leader of the Shariat Jamaat, Rasul Makasharipov, was killed during a shootout with Russian troops on July 6, 2005. [http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=409&issue_id=3401] He was succeeded by Rappani Khalilov, who was killed on September 17 2007. With the statements of Dokka Umarov published by Kavkaz Center on October 1 2007, Khalilov has been replaced by his deputy, Abdul Madzhid who was killed on Septmeber 8th 2008. It is speculated that Dagestani Commander Daud has taken leadership of Shariat Jamaat since he was 2nd in command to Abdul Madzhid. Even with the deaths of Shariat Jamaat's 3 top leaders attacks have increased and violence appears to be spreading to Ingushetia and other areas around Dagestan.

Activities

The Shariat Jamaat is involved in hundreds of attacks against the local politicians, officers of the MVD (Russian Interior Ministry) and the FSB (Federal Security Service), prosecutors, and court officials in Dagestan. [http://www.jamestown.org/publications_details.php?volume_id=421&issue_id=3999 Dagestan's Interior Minister Targeted Yet Again] The Jamestown Foundation] They were seen as responsible for the 2002 Kaspiysk bombing, the Makhachkala Rus bombing in 2005, assassination of the deputy Interior Minister for Dagestan Magomed Omarov in 2005 and the huge upsurge of violence in Dagestan in 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.jamaatshariat.com/ Official site of Sharia Jamaat (Russian)]
* [http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/9199-24.cfm Makhachkala's War on Terror -- A Week in a City Under Siege] Center for Defense Information