The Caucasus Emirate (Chechen: Имарат Кавказ, ИК, romanized: Imarat Kavkaz, IK; Russian: Кавказский эмират, romanized: Kavkazskiy emirat), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a jihadist organisation active in rebel-held parts of Syria and previously in the North Caucasus region of Russia. Its intention was to expel the Russian presence from the North Caucasus and to establish an independent Islamic emirate in the region. The Caucasus Emirate also referred to the state that the group sought to establish. The creation of Caucasus Emirate was announced on 7 October 2007, by Chechen warlord Dokka Umarov, who became its first self-declared "emir".
By late 2015, the group no longer had a visible presence in the North Caucasus, as most of its members defected to the local Islamic State affiliate, Vilayat Kavkaz.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Chechen nationalists, led by Dzhokhar Dudayev, declared the secession of Chechnya from Russia as an independent Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). Following two devastating wars with the Russian Federation in the nineties, the ChRI fought an insurgency against the Russian forces and their Chechen allies from 2000, initially under the leadership of Aslan Maskhadov. Although the ChRI was largely founded by Sufi Muslims motivated by nationalism, over time the literalist Salafist form of Islam became increasingly popular with some Chechens, leading to a schism between nationalists and Salafists. As many of the original nationalist figures were killed by Russian forces, the insurgency took on an increasingly Salafist tone embodied by commanders like Shamil Basayev and the Arab fighter Khattab. Many of the surviving nationalists gave up the fight, and by the time Dokka Umarov was declared President of Ichkeria in June 2006, Islamists held increasing influence in the movement.
On 7 October 2007, President of Ichkeria Dokka Umarov abolished the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and its presidency and proclaimed an Emirate in the Caucasus, declaring himself its Emir. The declaration of the Caucasus Emirate was quickly condemned by Akhmed Zakayev, Umarov's own minister of foreign affairs; Zakayev, who lives in exile in London, called upon all Chechen separatist fighters and politicians to pledge allegiance directly to his government in exile in an attempt to isolate Umarov from power. Zakayev also expressed regret that Umarov had caved in to pressure from "provocateurs" and committed a "crime" that undermines the legitimacy of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. Umarov said that he did not need any sanction from the Majlis-ul-Shura (the council of rebel field commanders) or anybody else to declare the Emirate, as it is "his duty as a Muslim" to establish an Islamic state "as required by Sharia".
On 1 August 2010 Kavkaz Center, the official web site of the Emirate, distributed a video where Dokka Umarov indicated that he had stepped down from his position as Emir and appointed Aslambek Vadalov to become his successor. However, a few days later, on 3 August 2010, Umarov said he had no intention of stepping down and called the video announcing his resignation a fabrication. The announcements drove the emirate into a state of turmoil, with several key rebel leaders resigning their loyalty to Umarov. This combined with the death of Muhannad is believed to have paved the way for Hussein Gakayev, Aslambek Vadalov and Tarkhan Gaziyev to re-affirm their allegiance to Umarov. Umarov would die in September 2013 from food poisoning. Aliaskhab Kebekov was announced 6 months later as his successor.
In the period from 2010 to 2014, the number of casualties in the North Caucasus insurgency declined each year, with the overall death toll falling by more than half. Reasons suggested for the decline include the deaths of high-ranking insurgency commanders, the increased targeting by security forces of the support infrastructure relied on by the insurgents, and an exodus of insurgents to other conflict zones.
Starting in November 2014, mid-level commanders of the Caucasus Emirate began publicly switching their allegiance from Emirate leader Aliaskhab Kebekov to the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, following al-Baghdadi and his group's declaration of a caliphate earlier in the year. By February 2015, many commanders of the Emirate's Vilayat Nokhchicho and Vilayat Dagestan had defected. Loyalists within the Emirate released statements denouncing them, and accused the most senior defector, Rustam Asildarov, of betrayal. Vilayat Nokhchicho leader Aslan Byutukayev pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi in June 2015, and an audio statement was released in the same month purportedly pledging allegiance on behalf of militants in Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Kabardino-Balkaria. On 23 June 2015, IS's spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani accepted these pledges and announced the creation of a Caucasus Province, a new branch operating in the North Caucasus region. Al-Adnani named Asildarov as its leader and called on other militants in the region to follow him.
The Caucasus Emirate continued to operate independently, but suffered further high-profile losses, including the killing by Russian security forces of Kebekov in April 2015, and his successor Magomed Suleimanov several months later. By late 2015, the militants still operating in Russia's North Caucasus Republics had largely unified under IS's Caucasus Province. The Caucasus Emirate continued to operate in Syria, fought in the October–December 2015 Aleppo offensive, and took part in the defense of rebel-held Greater Idlib against Syrian Army offensives in 2018 and 2019.
The group seemingly disappeared in June 2019, however rumors of resurgence of Caucasus Emirate were spread in 2023, though this claim has yet to be confirmed.
The Caucasus Emirate was claimed to be composed of the following Vilayats (provinces):
Vilayat Nokhchicho (Chechnya) Self proclaimed capital city was Dzokhar-Ghala (Chechen: Джохар-ГӀала) (Grozny)
Vilayat Galgayche (Ingushetia and North Ossetia) Self proclaimed capital city was Magas (Ingush: Магас), until 9 May 2009, and Buro (Ingush: Буро) (Vladikavkaz) from 9 May 2009
Vilayat Cherkessia (Adygea and southern part of Krasnodar Krai) Self proclaimed capital city was Miequapa (Adyghe: Мыекъуапэ) (Maykop)
Vilayat Nogai Steppe (Stavropol Krai and northern part of Krasnodar Krai) Self proclaimed capital city was Nogai-Shakhar (Nogai: Ногай-Шахар) (Stavropol)
Vilayat Dagestan (Dagestan) Self proclaimed capital city was Shamilkala (Russian: Шамилькала) (Makhachkala)
United Vilayat of Kabarda-Balkaria-Karachay (Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia) Self proclaimed capital cities were Nalshik (Kabardian: Налшык), Tirniawuz (Karachay-Balkar: Тырныаўуз), Qarachay shakhar(Karachay-Balkar: Къарачай шахар)
Vilayat Iriston (North Ossetia) Self proclaimed capital city was Dzhikhadqæw (Iron Ossetic: Джихадхъæу/Джихадгъæу) (Vladikavkaz) was abolished in 2009 in a decree issued by Umarov that subsumed it into Vilayat Galgayche
In August 2008 Movladi Udugov, an ideologue and a spokesman for the Caucasus Emirate, said that "as Dokka Umarov very accurately observed, this Islamic state does not yet have any borders. It’s not correct to say that we want to build some sort of enclave on the territory of these North Caucasus republics. No, today many Muslims living in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Russians from the most widely differing regions of Russia who have accepted Islam, swear an oath of allegiance to Dokka Umarov as the legitimate leader of the Muslims. And wherever he is – in Moscow, Blagoveshchensk, Tyumen – when a Muslim swears that oath, he becomes a fighting unit. Just because these people are not visible in their cities just now and are not active, that doesn’t mean that they won’t become active in the future."