Text
of a video interview for Chechen Television. The material was prepared
by the Department of Information and Analysis under President of
Question:
Aslan, with the beginning of summer, our fighters have intensified
their activities against the invaders' troops. Does it have anything to
do with your most recent order?
President Maskhadov: In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate!
Praise
be upon God, the Lord of the worlds, may peace and mercy of God be upon
His Messenger, and then - may peace and mercy of God be upon you, the
fighting Mujahideen and my people! We will tell you about the current
situation, about the preparations for tomorrow and about the ways of
pushing the enemies out of the country and of defeating them.
Yes,
it was my order. And the reason why I issued this order is that the war
has been continuing for five years. Peaceful civilians are tired of
this war. And we decided to push the enemies out by attacking them, and
if they do not intend to leave, we are planning to transfer the war
onto their territories.
Second, our strikes should make their officers and their rulers understand that their dreams will not come to be.
God gives the victory to the believers. The infidels will be crushed.
The enemy has nothing to confront us with, -- military-wise. In a
similar situation during the previous war, General Lebed admitted: «To
continue the war in this way is a disgrace to
By our offensive we are showing them that they have no army and that every day of the war is a disgrace to them.
Today
Putin admits it too. He was the one who said that he did not know what
the actual situation in Ichkeria and Ingushetia was, which means that
the secret services and national traitors are lying to their bosses.
I
issued this order to show to the pro-Russian Chechen formations of
collaborators that their threats, their raids and their atrocities
against the families of the Mujahideen [Fighters] can never make us
think that they were a force to be reckoned with. The other reason was
to show the Russian invaders that those hypocrites would never help
them, just as they never helped us.
According to this order, the
decision was made to change the tactics, which for three years have
mainly consisted of guerrilla warfare and sabotage operations. The
Mujahideen excelled in this and have inflicted huge damages on the
enemy.
Remember how [Russian general] Troshev got offended when
he was dismissed and said that more than 50,000 soldiers had been
killed in
Now
our tactics is changing: raids will increase, the makeup of groups will
change and the targets of raids will change. For a guerrilla war you do
not need strength, 2,500-3,000 fighters is enough. Now there is no need
to build up our forces, we have reserves.
The
commanders were given the appropriate instructions. And we can see the
results, as well as how the orders are carried out: over the past 1.5
to 2 months three big convoys of the enemy were attacked in Itum-Kala
in April; and battles never ceased for a single day in Vedeno, Tovzeni
and Dargo. These are permanent centers of Resistance. Two or three
major attacks on the Russian invaders and their Chechen henchmen were
carried out in Avtury, and they suffered serious casualties. The
invaders suffered similar casualties in Shali and Serzhen-Yurt as well.
Major combat clashes took place in the areas that are normally quiet.
Major battles took place in Urus-Martan, Alkhan-Yurt, and Ishkhoi-Yurt.
Our fighters have also carried out a major operation in Alleroi.
Ingushetia is a separate subject of discussion: until now, there
were only diversionary attacks, but now there will be massive
operations. With God's help and as a result of our attacks and the
expansion of the theater of operations, we are sure of a quick victory.
Commander
(Amir) Abdul Halim, Chairman of the Shariah Council of State Defense
Committee - Majlis al-Shura of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria:
Abdul Halim:
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate! Praise be upon
God, the Lord of the worlds, may peace and mercy of God be upon His
Messenger. And then - when the Holy War broke out in our country and we
decided to wage a Jihad, our leader was Aslan Maskhadov - even before
the war. So there is nothing unusual about the fact that his orders are
being carried out.
Military operations have become more intense,
and we can see their results. As God said in the Koran, «They who fear
God, these are the achievers». [The Light, Verse 52].
We are Muslims, by grace of God. God said about the Muslims: «Do you think that you will enter
Question: Back to the operation in Ingushetia, Aslan, why was the operation carried out in Ingushetia and not, say, in Ossetia or
President Maskhadov:
Russians say that this is where a war has broken out now. This is
wrong. The same Russian mass media admitted long ago that the same
crimes were perpetrated in Ingushetia as in Ichkeria: the same
'cleansings', raids, and abductions. The war in Ingushetia started when
[former Ingushetian President] Ruslan Aushev, who was elected and
recognized by the people, was removed from his post and replaced with
FSB [Russian Federal Security Service/KGB] agent Zyazikov. It was
through the efforts of Russian secret services that the war was
unleashed both against the Chechen refugees and against people of
Ingushetia. Bulldozers were sent to sweep off the refugee camps. The
electricity and natural gas supplies were cut off. People were being
killed.
While accusing many locals of abetting the Mujahideen,
they would send troops and armored personnel carriers to their homes,
burn houses, kill and torture the owners who rented out their houses.
When the people saw this, the numbers of those who wanted to fight on
our side had increased, including among brotherly Ingushetian people.
On
my consent, the Military Council has set up the Ingushetian Sector. The
foremost reason for this operation was the presence of military units
of the enemy on the Ingushetian soil. The main objective was to destroy
the military units and seize military depots where the weapons and
ammunition were being stored. Our other objective was to target their
power-wielding structures, the FSB, and to liberate our Mujahideen and
innocent people from prisons.
Third, we wanted to take revenge
for their atrocities against the Chechens and Ingushetians. I approved
that operation. It was prepared and planned by the Military Council.
Some 950-1,000 Fighters from the Ingushetian, Sunzha and Achkhoi-Martan
Sectors, headed by Commander of Western Front Dokka Umarov, took part
in the operation, although the Russian media have been claiming that
only 150-200 Mujahideen were involved.
Russian mass media did
quote the numbers of their killed and wounded, but they only disclose
the numbers of the killed and wounded personnel of the Ingushetian
[pro-Moscow] power structures. They are quiet about hundreds of dead
bodies that were sent home secretly from the Russian military bases.
The
fact that 1,000 Mujahideen entered three towns and withdrew from there
virtually with no casualties incurred, within the timeframes that were
planned, once they accomplished their missions (carrying only a few
wounded with them), also shows that the operation was successful. We
are capable of carrying out such operations in Ichkeria, Ingushetia and
Question:
Abdul Halim, some people say that the Chechens allegedly attacked
Ingushetia and that this attack is comparable to the [1999] attack on
Abdul Halim:
Aslan supplied a thorough answer to that. I will answer the second part
of your question. God says that all believers are brothers.
There are no separate Dagestani people. There are individual Muslim nations in that part of the
God
says that if your brothers ask for your help, you are obligated to
provide help. The Ingushetians had President Aushev until another
president was appointed by the FSB [Murad Zyazikov]. Even an infidel
(unbeliever) does not go against his fellow people unless his
connection with his people has been completely severed. Zyazikov is one
of those who has never had and does not have any ties with his fellow
people. He was the one who started the policy of terror.
We
all can remember how Russia tore two districts away from us, Sunzha and
Malgobek Districts, and made them part of Ingushetia (Russia also took
away Ingushetian lands and gave them to neighboring North Ossetia),
when trying to cause a confrontation between our nations. But [first
Chechen President] Dzhokhar [Dudayev] rejected the idea of a feud by
saying: «We will not argue about the border with our brothers». An
appropriate agreement was signed by President Aushev and President
Dudayev.
But
when they started to exterminate our brothers, when the abductions and
persecutions of Chechens started, we were obligated to respond to the
call for help from our brothers. And we did. They cannot disunite us:
Chechen and Ingushetian Mujahideen are always together. I don’t mean
some hypocrites - there is this kind of people among any nation. The
Ingushetians welcomed our Mujahideen by crying out 'Allah Akbar' - 'God
is Great!'
We did not want to launch combat operations in
Ingushetia. We wanted to keep intact at least one area where Muslims
are not tortured and killed. Putin, however, wanted the opposite and
caused a war there. And what lesson did he learn from what happened in
Ingushetia?
He said that it happened due to the insufficient
number of troops in Ingushetia. This is their way of thinking. It can
only mean that they just did not have enough time to start arresting
people in every Ingushetian home, killing people in every home. I
cannot see any other meaning in his words.
We started a holy war, we want freedom and freedom of religion. And Ingushetians are our brothers.
Question:
President Maskhadov:
Putin has no clear plan, he plies back and forth: first to Ichkeria to
attend Kadyrov's funeral, and then to Ingushetia. All he can do against
us is torture our peaceful civilians. The Mujahideen have been fighting
against the military in Ingushetia, but now that they have left, Putin
is torturing and killing the refugees.
The receptions and hugs
with the Kadyrovs and with Alkhanov in the Kremlin speak about the
humiliated position and uncertainty in which Putin has found himself.
No one takes the people, whom Putin hugs, seriously in Ichkeria.
If
Putin could see the look on the face of his new presidential candidate
on the footage of the explosion in which Kadyrov died, he would realize
how useless Alkhanov is going to be. [Acting Chechen pro-Moscow
president] Abramov shivered when he reported to Putin, but Alkhanov was
in an even worse state: the explosion made his hair and his medals
stand on end. Alkhanov is not good enough even for the post of the head
of a village administration. He will always expect - and fear – another
explosion.
Neither Putin, nor Alkhanov especially, will ever be
able lead Ichkeria to the state of a civil war, just as Kadyrov was
unable to do so. He would read verses from the Koran, he was deceiving
both the people and God, but as a result he deceived only his own self.
There is no difference who Putin chooses. It is only a question of time until Mujahid's hand reaches him. Allah decides everyone's term.
The
war will end, the troops will be withdrawn, the people will be able to
rest, and whomever they elect will become the president.
Abdul Halim: These 'elections' do not matter to us. We have our legitimate President.
In
the times of Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), Abu Jahl, who used
to do the greatest damage to the Muslims, was killed in the Battle of
Badr. And the Prophet did not know about his death until he saw Abu
Jahl's head. Then he exclaimed: «God is Great! He was a scourge to our
Ummah, like a pharaoh».
No one was worse than Kadyrov. He was
first and foremost guilty of slander against God and His Messenger
(peace be upon him). One should not speak ill about someone who is
dead, but this is only true if the dead person was a pauper who could
hardly earn his daily bread, not an enemy of God. And we should give
some explanations.
Kadyrov was a man without God and without Homeland. He built his puppet 'presidency' on the blood and bones of his people. The world has not seen such a degenerate since the death of Abu Jahl.
God
says in the Koran: «We will not leave you in this situation without
finding out which of you are pure and which of you are vicious».
By
the example of Alkhanov, whom Putin appointed, God let us learn just
how filthy Kadyrov was. God says in the Koran, addressing to the
Muslims, that the infidels will be displeased with you until you follow
them. Their plan is to imprison, cause mayhem and kill the Muslims.
This is their way of communication. And neither Putin nor others will
be pleased with their candidate until he does what they want him to do.
But neither Alkhanov nor anyone else can make the Mujahideen or the
religion of God even a bit weaker. They will just demonstrate how
filthy they are.
Question: Some Chechens became henchmen of the Russian invaders. They were given posts in the invaders' structures and did noticeable damage to our people. How do you evaluate these people?
President Maskhadov:
Even though we call them Chechens, they are the worst among us. Looking
at it from the military perspective, they are no force to speak of for
the Mujahideen, and they cannot shake the determination of the
Mujahideen, no matter how many of them flee to the Russian side. If
many thousands-strong hordes of Russians could not shake our
determination, what difference can the traitors make?
But
they still did inflict great damage. What kind of damage was it? Putin
admitted two years ago that the status of Ichkeria was not the point,
and what mattered was the safety of
Putin,
who has no foresight and who trusts his secret services and the FSB,
was deceived into believing them and continued the war which has been
going on to this day, for five years already. And this is their fault.
The
traitors and hypocrites are ruining our youth, they are taking them to
Russian military service which is supposed to be contractual. Then they
are sent against the Mujahideen. They recruited conscripts from
Alleroi, Avtury, Tsatsan-Yurt, Geldagen, and Kurchaloi. Then they
packed these Chechen young men in trucks, took them to the frontlines
and set up an ambush against the best sons of our nation, -- the
Mujahideen who are waging the Jihad. The Mujahideen found out about it
and laid an ambush themselves. As a result, the enemies went back with
13 dead bodies including Russians. Our troops took the weapons. 10
traitors were killed in Ishkhoi-Yurt.
These
dead bodies are sent to their fathers and mothers who seem to have lost
their minds. Do the parents not know where they are sending their
children? But these unworthy parents only think about how their
children will bring a couple of thousands of rubles home [about $ 80],
but they receive the dead bodies of their children instead. They ruin
their children, depriving them of good life in both worlds. And to
Russians
want to incite hostility: an eye for an eye, a father for a father, a
burned house for a burned house. Sometimes, in a fit of temper, I tell
the Mujahideen to wreak vengeance on them the same way, but then the
anger goes away. There is not a single Fighter in Nozhai-Yurt, Vedeno,
Gudermes and other districts, whose house was not burned and whose
brother was not abducted and tortured. Lately, they have started
abducting the women too. In wrath we may retaliate the same way, and
they well deserve it. But our Alims (theological scholars) know how we
should act in accordance with the Shariah Law, and so does Abdul Halim,
whom we consult with.
The
enemies are trying to push us into the abyss of a civil war. But the
war will end if we are patient. We will hold those whose hands are
stained with blood accountable, and they will never escape punishment.
Question:
The Chechens are a Muslim nation, and even the worst Chechen will not
say that he is not a Muslim. What will the punishment be for those
Chechens who stood next to the infidel enemies and fought against
Muslims?
Abdul Halim: The enemy made them
close allies to sow enmity and discord among our people. But it will
never happen. Second, they want to weaken us by taking our people away
from us. God said: «If God assists you, then there is none who could
overcome you, and if He forsakes you, who is there then that can assist
you after Him? And on God should the believers rely». [The Family of
Imran, Verse 160]. We would run out of time if we were to say how
horribly God will punish them.
Iblis (Satan), who was cursed by God from
the day of creation of Adam, will always dwell in the fourth tier of
Hell. God says: «Surely the hypocrites are in the lowest stage of the
fire and you shall not find a helper for them». [The Women, Verse 145]
The pus and liquid remnants of the sinners who permanently burn in the
upper tiers are poured on them there. Only this is their food and drink.
God
advised His Prophet not to get upset about the people who strive toward
disbelief. He who obeys God and Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) is
a Muslim, and he who worships anything else is an infidel. The
hypocrite is he who says that he is a Muslim, while hiding his
unbelief. God says that the hypocrites hate the Muslims more than the
Jews, Christians and polytheists do.
These
enemies stretch out their bloody hands towards women and children. This
is not surprising here at all - this is their true face. We will not
let it go. But at the same time, we will not kill and torture their
women and children as they torture our women and children, because we,
the Chechens, are a Muslim nation: the wives, children, brothers and
sisters of the hypocrites can be believers. We should take heed of the
verse from the Koran which reads: «No bearer of burden shall bear the
burden of another» [The Cattle, Verse 164].
Our
enemies are instructed by the Kremlin to kill our relatives. They are
like animals, they do not think about revenge. But we follow the tenets
of God, not their example. We will get rid of these hypocrites, whereas
their brothers and sisters, God willing, will become our helpers in our
common cause on the path of God. There are relatives who cannot stop
the traitors and hypocrites, there are others who covet the money they
earn. «We have to live on something»,
they say. But it is against God's word to earn money by killing
Muslims. If it is impossible to survive, one should die of starvation,
rather than kill a Muslim. Besides, our republic is rich - it is hard
to die of starvation here.
God says: «they cannot do Me any
harm, but they can make their own souls suffer the loss», [The Cow,
Verse 57], which means that no harm can be done to either true Muslims
or to God. The victory does not depend on numbers. God says: «How often
has a small party vanquished a numerous host by Allah's permission, and
Allah is with the patient». [The Cow, Verse 249]
When they talk about the
But they still have the
opportunity to repent, -- may God guide them. We cannot and should not
commit atrocities in retaliation - we just wage the Jihad on the path
of God.
President Maskhadov: I would like to add
one more thing. During the previous war the hypocrites were the
henchmen of Russians, but we were lenient toward them – they are
Chechens no matter what. Maybe they figured that
And
today we will never transgress the bounds set by God, we will not touch
the fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers of the hypocrites. But I
swear to God, and this is my behest for the Mujahideen who will
survive, we will make sure that there is no room in our country for the
hypocrites who will not repent. They should be punished severely, but
within the limits prescribed by God.
There will be no more
amnesties granted, as there used to be before. Nor will the traitors
and hypocrites be able to find shelter in some gang. It is not going to
work.
Their ringleaders have already shed too much blood, and
the so-called policemen and others, who joined their units and promised
to help us during major operations, have been deluded and are getting
more and more confused, -- but they still have time to re-think their
actions.
Do not ruin yourself and your future. Kadyrov and
Yamadayev do not have even a hundred men - they will not save you. They
will live only as long as it will take the Mujahideen to get them.