Imam Shamil Battalion

For the Volunteer Separatist Battalion in the Ukrainian International Legion, see Imam Shamil Dagestan Battalion (Ukraine).

The Imam Shamil Battalion (Arabic: كتيبة الإمام شامل, romanized: Katiba Al Imam Shamil, Russian: батальон имама Шамиля) was a militant Islamist organization in Russia. It is a North Caucasus affiliate of Al-Qaeda.^[4][5][6]

Imam Shamil Battalion
Logo of the group
Leaders	Sirozhiddin Mukhtarov (POW)[1]
Dates of operation	April 2017 – December 2019
Headquarters	North Caucasus, Russia
Active regions	North Caucasus, Russia
Ideology	Salafist jihadism Wahhabism[2]
Size	100 (according to the (CFR)[3]
Part of	al-Qaeda
Allies	Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Turkistan Islamic Party
Opponents	State opponents Russia Georgia Azerbaijan Armenia Turkey South Ossetia Abkhazia Artsakh (until 2023) Non state opponents ISIS - Caucasus Province
Battles and wars	2017 Saint Petersburg metro bombing, Insurgency in the North Caucasus, Islamic State insurgency in the North Caucasus

The name of the group is in reference to Imam Shamil, a Muslim leader from Dagestan that fought an invasion by the Russian Empire during the Caucasian War, and was the third Imam of Caucasian Imamate.^[7][8]

History

It is unknown when the group was formed but it rose to public prominence on 26 April 2017, when it claimed responsibility for the 2017 Saint Petersburg Metro bombing.^[9] In its statement, it said that the attack was ordered by al-Qaeda's general Emir, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and that the group acts on behalf of al-Qaeda in the Caucasus and the Russian Federation.^[10][11] The attack was in retaliation to Russian military intervention in Syria. The group also pledged to continue launching terrorists attack in Russia until the Russian government withdraws its forces from the Caucasus and Syria. Is speculated that the group is led by Sirozhiddin Mukhtarov, who is also known as Abu Salah al-Uzbeky. In Tajikistan he is known for his connections with Uyghur terrorist groups such as the Turkistan Islamic Party and other al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria such as Tahrir al-Sham.^[12][13]