Abdul Malik Interview 2009

Abdul Malik Interview 2009
20/04/2009

Prague Watchdog edition published an interview with one of the Mujahideen commanders, Abdul-Malik.

Prague Watchdog: Do you think that it's normal for Chechens to be killing Chechens?

Abdul-Malik: We really didn't want this kind of war, and at first we did everything we could to avoid it. But the Russians are pushing the Kadyrovites onto the front line and conducting ambushes against us. The Kadyrovites are themselves trying every means of gaining favour with the Russians. I warned the man whom I killed. But he did not listen; instead he mobilized and started shooting at us. His cousin is here with us. And he says that this policeman almost took pride in the fact that he was able to earn his living by fighting the insurgents in the forest.

We had nowhere to go. And we started a war with them. Why? On the battlefield it is the Chechen whom we face. In Russian uniform. That is, a Russian, only with Chechen nationality - but he's our enemy. In Russian uniform, with a Russian weapon in his hands, he went against his people and his religion. Therefore both our religion and our customs tell us that it's our duty to fight him. That's the only way they can be stopped. I repeat, we always warn them and urge them to give up their jobs.

A year ago I personally asked this man to resign from the police. And he sent a reply: "Try to make me!" That is why Allah used our hands to take his life away. From afar it is difficult to understand. To us here on the spot it is all obvious. These people persecute us day and night, without a break. That is why we conduct our operations against them. We have no choice. They fight us just like the Russians do, with the Russians' weapons and vehicles. We have to respond. Anyone who fights in a war will understand this only too well.

I would like to say that we haven't violated anything that is connected with the traditions of the Chechen people, the requirements of Islam. We stand firm on this. They are the ones who are the violators.

PW: But after all, you didn't kill him on the battlefield, but dragged him from his home and shot him. Is that consistent with Islamic law?

A.-M.: Today whoever takes up arms to defend the Russian government and shoots at us - they can be killed. That is our starting point. He shot a lot of our people, I know that for a fact. But even in these conditions we say, as we did before, that we will not touch a single one of those who are willing to give up their job and stay at home. But there are those who continue to fight with us, and even more furiously than the Russians themselves. They are the ones who won't allow the war to end. If it weren't for, the war would have stopped.

PW: The homes of insurgents are burned down, their relatives are harassed and persecuted. What effect does that have on your people?

A.-M.: For two years now they've been persecuting our relatives, day and night. We never touch their relatives, only them. We seek justice and retribution. All that we do is in harmony with our religion. But they burn homes, they punish our sisters, our mothers, our brothers. That way they seek to influence us, to weaken our hearts. But we know what we are moving towards. They try to harm us in every way they can. They want to destroy our spirit. But by the will of Allah we will stand on the path of Islam. We will strengthen Islam and broaden it. We believe in it.

PW: Many of Chechnya's civilians are pleased at what the authorities are doing: the authorities are building homes, they constructed the largest mosque in Europe, they're improving people's lives. Don't you see any changes for the better?

A.-M.: Kadyrov brings Tyson to Chechnya, and he'll be bringing Michael Jackson. Then it will be some artistes, some Arabs. Why? He's conducting a policy of the stick and carrot.. Beat the man, beat him and beat him, then throw him a piece of bread. He thinks that's the way to deal with people, but it's all just temporary. I swear, even the Muslim prayers they're allowed to hold today will be banned tomorrow. For no one in Chechnya today can follow the ways of the Prophet. Young people complain to us that they're being told at home not to go to the mosques. They're even being taken out of the mosques. And all the rest is just for show, there's nothing to it... If they were truly supportive of Islam, do you think we'd be against it? No, of course we wouldn't.

And all this show is being paid for by our oil. The republic doesn't even get 10 percent of the oil revenues. So why do we take their bait? They're grabbing all the oil and throwing us handouts. Telling us meanwhile that "Russia feeds us". No, it doesn't. Today, if it wasn't for the mujahideen they'd be able to send us into exile as they did in 1944. We have to remember that. They're the people who tormented our fathers, and now they're tormenting us. So everything that Kadyrov does is hypocrisy. It's just that they have control of information, of television. And they can deceive people. And our people are very willing to believe what they're told on TV. There is almost no one left in Chechnya who is able to openly speak the truth. Everything is under the thumb of the authorities. Even religion is interpreted in the way they want.

If we had an independent state, our oil would pay for a fine standard of living. That's why we've taken the path of struggle - so we can have our state, so that the Muslims can live in peace. All that is happening today is a mirage. And it will pass.. Allah is testing the Muslims.

PW: But many Chechens support the authorities. You say that you're fighting for the people's happiness. The people praise Kadyrov. Perhaps you haven't noticed that you've moved away from the people and lost contact with it?

A.-M.: I can quote a hadith. Ali's son was going to Iraq. He asked those whom he met: "What is happening there?" They replied: "The hearts of all the people of Iraq are with you, but their swords are turned against you." What does that mean? The hearts of the people of Chechnya are with us. They have all told us that. They love us, but they love us in their hearts. If they talk about it openly, they'll be persecuted. They are all living under a very heavy yoke of oppression. You just have to lift your head and you're crushed. So they're afraid. They have no weapons - they're civilians. What can they do? They have to stay silent. I don't blame them, because I understand. I live here and see it all. The people are oppressed, as in the days of Stalin. Nothing can be said openly. But in reality, people respect us and support us. If that were not the case, we wouldn't have so many people coming to join us. And they come in their multitudes. They see the injustice of the authorities and they come to us. But if any one of them says a word in support of us, tomorrow he will find himself in a basement in Khosi-Yurt, and he'll be tortured.

PW: Who is doing the fighting today? What sort of people are they, how many of them are there - what is their age, their social status, their level of education? What does an insurgent look like?

A.-M.: I can talk about myself. Two years ago I arrived here from Austria. I had a good life there, didn't want for anything. But I gave it all up and came back when I realized a lot of things. Although people may not believe it, there are a great many insurgents. They sincerely believe in Allah. And all the talk about how they have taken this path in search of money is a lie. Does one earn money by dying? What do I need money for if I can die today? Money won't help me when I stand before Allah. It will only help my deeds.

If I had wanted to earn money, I'd have looked for it elsewhere. After all, the world is a big place, you can live anywhere. But that's not the life we are looking for. We seek Allah's blessing in the next world. We want to strengthen Islam. What we have done today will help us tomorrow. Why? If we are victorious today, the Muslims will be free. They will be able to freely practice their faith. Each person will have all the rights that are given to him by Allah. And we will die on that path. Allah will give us paradise. We believe that. Inshallah! Those who have social and financial problems will not come to us. They will yield to the munafiqs. And there they will find a way to resolve their issues. But we seek advantage from Allah. And Allah willing, we will find it. Allah gives everyone what they seek.

Allah said that no one on his path will be left without benefit - either he will be victorious or he will receive paradise after he dies. We have this choice. If we are victorious, we will be open for the Muslims. We will not be criminal for them. If a criminal appears among us, we have the power to stop him. And we will not let the others do evil. We shall be for justice. Many things have been cleared up in comparison with the first war. And they go on being cleared up. After all, at each moment we stand before death.

Of our ranks I will say this: among us there are young and old, there are doctors, construction workers, graduates of institutes and universities. We have a program of Islamic studies and international current affairs. We know what we want. I am 30 years old. A time for life. But this, the best time of my life, I have devoted to Islam and the strengthening of the Word of Allah. And Allah will not forsake me! This I believe!Source: Prague Watchdog

Interview with Mujahid Kuteyb

Interview with a Chechen Mujahid

26/03/2009

In April we are going to conduct major operations" (interview with a member of the Chechen mujahid)

At a meeting with Russian parliamentary deputies in Grozny on March 25, the Moscow-backed Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov announced that the counter-terrorist operation, which has been going on in Chechnya since 1999, is nearing completion. According to him, on March 31 the National Anti-Terrorist Committee is due to pass a resolution declaring that it is over. This will be followed by an immediate lifting of all the emergency restrictions currently in force.

We interviewed by telephone a rank-and-file member of the mujahedin from the dzhamaat of the well-known Chechen field commander Husyen Gakayev. He is 28 years old, his call sign is Kuteyb, his real name is Aslan, and he is a native of Chechnya’s Vedeno district. At the start of the conversation Aslan apologized for being unable to express his thoughts in fluent Russian, as he grew up during wartime and did not have a chance to learn the language properly.

The following transcript adheres as closely as possible to the actual recording.

The editors

PW: Ramzan Kadyrov has said that according to his data no more than 70 guerrillas are left in the mountains of Chechnya. Does this figure correspond to reality?

Kuteyb: It’s certainly not true, because in our Gorno-Shalinsky sector of the Ichkerian Vilayet there are 60 mujahedin. In that sector alone. And there are a great many such sectors. Ramzan and the other munafiqs and kafirs just say what’s convenient for them. It’s something that they need. Inshallah, we are many. There are hundreds and hundreds of us. And hundreds more want to be in contact with us. The young people here are very law-abiding. They all want the word of God to be greater than Russia's Constitution and all constitutions. Our Constitution is the Koran – it’s the Sharia. To us, Ramzan is a nobody. Putin and Medvedev are not serious people. They speak for themselves. In a vacuum.

PW: Representatives of the State Duma Committee on Security have confirmed that the situation in Chechnya has changed very much for the better. Has the power of the underground really been eroded, and do the guerrillas no longer represent any serious threat to the authorities in Chechnya?

Kuteyb: I swear by Allah that the mujahedin have not been weakened. The mujahedin are many, and they now have power. This year of 2009 will be the year of victory for the mujahedin. In 2003, 2004 and 2005 we did not have this flow of young people to us. Now everyone wants Laillah illalah to be supreme in the Caucasus. All the young people want this.

PW: Russian State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov has said that the number of federal forces in Chechnya should be reduced, since the financial crisis makes it difficult to maintain such a large military grouping. If some of the troops are withdrawn, will Ramzan Kadyrov be able to maintain the situation with his own forces?

Kuteyb: Kadyrov has little power, but when the Russian troops are withdrawn from Chechnya, the Kadyrovites will lose heart. Their spirit is generally weak. Previously it was the Russians who carried out the special operations, but now it’s up to the Kadyrovites. Their operations are very weak, because they have no strength of spirit. They’ve stopped going to work, as they’re not being paid because of the financial crisis. We have reports of this. They are already talking about leaving Chechnya altogether and going abroad.

PW: Why will 2009 be the year of victory?

Kuteyb: We think so because for the last two years we’ve been in the villages. There are the mountain districts – Nozhai-Yurtovsky, Vedensky, Shatoisky – in those districts the mujahedin are already operating openly in the villages. Nowadays we normally live in houses, but earlier we didn’t. It’s a very good thing that the people support us, understand us.

PW: But one can’t compare Kadyrov’s resources with those of the underground. Kadyrov has the support of Russia, with all its money, its military power and weapons, and you don’t have even a thousandth part of that.

Kuteyb: Yes, he has a lot of resources. He has Putin, he has Medvedev, the whole multimillion army of Russia. Even if he gets the support of America and others – the whole world – Allah will be with us. He will help us. The mujahedin have a good Iman now. And that is our weapons. Our weapons are a Dua. But we also have resources, we are doing well with money now. Many believed that when the Caucasian caliphate was declared we would have no resources. But, Alhamdulillah, it was even better here. All the mujahedin support Dokka Umarov. We love him, inshallah, and he is our Amir.

PW: Have you already begun your spring and summer season of fighting, or are you only planning?

Kuteyb: During March all the mujahedin have come out of the forest. We are located in the villages or near them. We normally move about the villages in cars. The security situation is fine. In 2006 and 2007 it was a bit dangerous, but now there is no problem. In April we are going to conduct major operations. There have already been attacks: in Vedensky district, in Grozny and other places, but they don’t talk about them because they don’t want anyone to know about us.

PW: And are there people among the Kadyrovites who are helping you?

Kuteyb: Yes, of course. They keep constantly in touch with our Amir, they work for us, they give us information. They have a normal Iman. Last year was terrible for Kadyrov. They helped us.