Experts know defendants in case of founding IS unit in Caucasus for their activities in "Imarat Kavkaz"

Members of the community "Vilayat Dagestan of Islamic State", prohibited in Russia, know each other from their childhood, and the leader of the community is the so-called "long-term forest survivor". This was stated by journalist Orkhan Djemal. Yana Amelina, Secretary-Coordinator of the Caucasus Geopolitical Club, believes that the leaders of the community are likely to die before the court.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 22, it became known that the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF) launched an investigation into the criminal case against the suspected organizers and members of the community "Vilayat Dagestan of Islamic State". According to the ICRF, the community was founded by Rustam Aselderov (media also mention his surname as Aseldirov or Asilderov), also known under a conspiratorial name of Abu Mukhammad, and Gasan Abdullaev (Abu Yaser) "to change the constitutional order of the Russian Federation, breach its territorial integrity, and gain financial and other material benefits."

According to Orkhan Djemal, Aselderov was born in Kalmykia. His family originates from the Buynaksk District of Dagestan, the so-called "Kadar zone" the territory, on which a Wahhabi enclave was formed.

Orkhan Djemal has noted that in the period from August 6, 2012, until mid-December 2014, Aselderov used to be the Amir of the "Vilayat Dagestan", a part of the "Imarat Kavkaz" (IK is recognized as a terrorist organization, and its activities are prohibited in Russia). On December 16, 2014, Aselderov swore allegiance to the "Islamic State" (IS), and after that, Aliaskhab Kebekov, the then leader of the IK (killed in April 2015), dismissed him from the post of the Amir of the "Vilayat Dagestan". On June 23, 2015, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the IS, appointed Aselderov "the Amir of the newly founded 'Vilayat Caucasus'", a unit of the "Islamic State".

The journalist believes that the removal of Aselderov from the IK resulted from "tensions" with Kebekov. According to the order, the Aselderov's unit was engaged in shooting law enforcers.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.