Mujahideen Commander Threatens Chechen Elections
Abu Hafs, the Jordanian "amir", or leader of the foreign mujahideen forces active in the Caucasus, has issued a new threat to any Islamic or Arab countries who attempt to aid the Russian government in overseeing ongoing elections in the turbulent Caucasus region of Chechnya. According to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, Abu Hafs is a principle conspirator in the notorious Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's regional terror network.

Zarqawi-Linked Terrorist in Chechnya Threatens America
Abu Hafs al-Urdani, the Jordanian successor to Ibn-ul Khattab and Abu al-Walid al-Ghamidi as top commander of the Al-Qaida-linked foreign mujahideen in Chechnya, has issued a new purported threat to Russia and the United States. According to the statement, "We will make Russia and America taste death, and Ramadan will be the month of conquests through [suicide] operations everywhere across this universe." Ramadan runs from Oct. 15 to Nov. 12, 2004.

Weapons Used in Beslan School Siege
According to Russia's chief prosecutor, a forensic analysis of the weapons used by Chechen militants during the bloody Beslan school siege has revealed that some were recently stolen from a Russian Interior Ministry arsenal by forces loyal to Shamil Basayev. Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov has stated that seven AK-47 rifles and three pistols used in Beslan were seized by Chechen rebels during a June 22 attack on an armory in Ingushetia.

Chart of Foreign Mujahideen in Chechnya
As part of the investigation behind the latest wave of terrorism inside Russia, Globalterroralert.com is making available an exclusive terrorism analysis chart titled, "The Foreign Mujahideen of the Caucasus: Links to International Terrorism." Since 1995, large numbers of Arab-Afghan militants allied with Usama Bin Laden have operated across the Caucasus.

Abu Hafs al-Urdani Launches Attack in Chechnya
Boasting that the mujahideen have "thawed the winter into the heat of summer", a group of fighters led by Abu Hafs al-Urdani--a senior Jordanian commander of the Islamic Army of the Caucasus--have attacked two Russian military camps in the Neg-Yurt region of Chechnya. Abu Hafs and his comrades claim to have destroyed large stores of ammunition and other provisions during the operation, as well as killing and wounding many Russian soldiers (including elite Spetznaz commandos). The mujahideen denied taking any casualties of their own.

- Click to view an English translation of the letter
- Click to view Islamic Army of the Caucasus leadership chart

Kuwaiti Al-Qaida Emissary Killed in Chechnya
Islamic militants fighting in the Caucasus have reported the death of Abu Omar al-Kuwaiti, a prominent military commander in the Islamic Army of the Caucasus (led by Shamil Basayev). Russian sources have alleged that Abu Omar served as a key Al-Qaida emissary in Chechnya at the behest of Shamil Basayev and senior Jordanian commander Abu Hafs al-Urdani. Abu Omar blew himself up in an underground bunker in neighboring Ingushetia on February 16 after the facility was surrounded by pro-Moscow security forces.

Death of Egyptian Jihad Member in the Caucasus
Reliable sources close to Dr. Ayman al-Zawahri's Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ) Movement in London have reported the death of senior EIJ commander Mahmud Hisham al-Hennawi (a.k.a. Abu Sahl) during combat operations against the Russian army in Chechnya, south Caucasus. Al-Hennawi, a veteran of the Arab mujahideen in both Chechnya and Afghanistan, is famed as having personally accompanied Ayman al-Zawahri on a botched 1996 mission to establish a training camp in Chechnya that ended in near disaster when Zawahri, Hennawi, and another militant were unexpectedly taken captive by Russian security forces.

Saudi Al-Qaida Commander Slain in Chechnya
Credible Chechen mujahideen news sources have confirmed the recent death of Saudi Arabian Al-Qaida commander Abu Omar al-Saif during combat operations against Russian forces in the Caucasus.  The leader of the Algerian Salafist Group for Prayer and Combat (GSPC), Abu Musab Abdel Wadoud, issued a statement expressing his own personal sorrow at "hear[ing] that such a great mujahid and distinguished personality has been lost... precisely during these times of hardship... There are few like Abu Omar al-Saif, and we will definitely miss him... [we] would like to point out that killing our commanders and leaders will only make us more determined to continue waging our blessed jihad."

- Sawt al-Qoqaz announces the death of Abu Omar al-Saif
- GSPC statement marking death of Abu Omar al-Saif

See also: CT Blog - The Death of Abu Omar al-Saif

Jordanian Zarqawi Ally Resurfaces in Chechnya
In a new communique dated January 2, Abu Hafs al-Urdani--a top Jordanian mujahideen commander in Chechnya who has been linked by the U.S. State Department to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's terrorist network in Iraq--has resurfaced after months of public silence to reassure supporters that the recent death of Saudi Abu Omar al-Saif has not dented the ongoing efforts of the mujahideen in the Caucasus.   

See also:
- Islamic Army of the Caucasus leadership chart (1/05)
- CTBLOG: The Death of Abu Omar al-Saif
- Sawt al-Qoqaz mourns the death of Abu Omar al-Saif
- The GSPC in Algeria offers condolences for Abu Omar