MOSCOW, August 17. /TASS/. The leader of the mountain sector of the Caucasus Emirate terrorist organization who fought in Syria and planned to head the criminal underworld has been wiped out in Russia’s North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, the Information Center of the Russian National Anti-Terrorism Committee has told TASS.
"During a counter-terrorism operation as a result of a shootout one of the gunmen was neutralized, he was identified as Magomed Abdulaev nicknamed Abu-Dudjana. He was the leader of the so-called mountain sector of the Caucasus Emirate international terrorist organization who earlier fought in Syria. It is known that he intended to head the criminal underworld after the elimination of [leader of Caucasus Emirate Magomed] Suleimanov," the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said.
Earlier on Monday during a counter-terrorist operation that began on August 10 a group of gunmen was discovered in Dagestan’s Untsukulsky district who opened fire on security forces and tried to hide in the gorge near the village of Gimry.
Magomed Suleimanov was eliminated during a special operation on August 11.
"As a result of the preliminary identification it was established that Magomed Suleimanov had been in the ranks of the illegal armed groups since 2005 and had been placed on the federal wanted list," the National Anti-Terrorism Committee said. "In April he became head of the Caucasus Emirate terrorist group, that is, the leader of the criminal underworld operating on the territory of the North Caucasus."
Suleimanov was the third leader of the criminal underworld in the North Caucasus eliminated over the past three years. In April, "successor" of Doku Umarov, head of the Caucasus Emirate terrorist group Aliaskhab Kebekov and two other gang leaders were killed during a special operation in Gerey-Avlak, a suburb of the city of Buynaksk. Kebekov succeeded Umarov last spring after Umarov's elimination. Kebekov was earlier placed on the international terrorists' list by a UN committee and the U.S. Department of State.
Doku Umarov was killed during a special operation held in late 2013, but his neutralization was officially confirmed only last April.
The Caucasus Emirate group was designated a terrorist organization in Russia by the Russian Supreme Court's decision in February of 2010.