Aslambek Vadalov Aslambek Ilimsultanovich Vadalov ( ) ( born April 3 , 1971 ) , also known by his nom de guerre " Emir Aslambek " , is a Chechen rebel leader fighting in the North Caucasus . He was appointed the supreme leader of the Caucasus Emirate on 1 August 2010 , though this was later retracted . Biography . Aslambek Vadalov was born in 1972 and is a native of Ishkoy - Yurt , a village in the eastern portion of Chechnya ' s Gudermessky District . Vadalov also seems to have spent much of his youth in the Gudermes region , though some reports have suggested that he studied for a short period of time in Moscow in the late 1980s , perhaps at a technical institute . Chechen War and rebel army . Following the outbreak of the First Chechen War in 1994 , Vadalov joined the separatist fighters from Gudermes ; he may have served in the unit of Sheik Fathi , a Chechen who had lived in Jordan and engaged in Islamist conflicts in Afghanistan and Tajikistan . It has been postulated that if Vadalov did indeed serve alongside Fathi , it would indicate a very early exposure to the Islamist interpretation of the war in Chechnya . Though Vadalov played no role in the 1999 Dagestan incursion led by Shamil Basayev and Ibn al - Khattab , following Russia ' s re - invasion of Chechnya that autumn he joined Khattab ' s Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya . After engaging in the battles for Argun and Gudermes , Vadalov ' s unit withdrew to the mountainous districts of Vedeno and Nozhay - Yurt in order to launch guerrilla attacks on Russian security forces . In 2000 , Vadalov returned to Ishkoy - Yurt for unknown reasons and joined a small , local guerrilla force ; the unit operated both independently and in cooperation with other rebel formations , including taking part in the 17 September 2001 attack on Gudermes . The next few years saw the separatist movement incur significant losses , but Vadalov was able to distinguish himself mainly due to his survival skills . As such , he was named Deputy Commander of the Gudermes Region of the Chechen Armed Forces under Emir Askhab . Although this unit that he commanded lacked manpower , his team and him were able to launch numerous small but significant attacks against the Russian security forces , especially around Ishkoy - Yurt . Following Emir Askhab ' s death in early 2005 , Vadalov was named Commander of the Gudermes region . However , while a capable small - unit commander , Vadalov struggled when in control of a larger fighting force that required a broader strategic perspective . His unit was eventually driven out of Gudermes proper and forced back into the highlands of Vedeno and Nozhay - Yurt . Despite these setbacks , he still maintained a reputation for " commitment to the cause and hard - fought guerrilla operations . " He has been fighting with the Causasian Emirate rebels against Russian forces since 1994 and was apparently one of the first to swear allegiance to Doku Umarov in 2007 . His relationship with Amir Khattab is of significance . Previously he was the commander of the Eastern Front of the Armed Forces of the Caucasus Emirate , although in practice he was commanding a force of perhaps about 30 - 50 militants on the Ingushetian border . Ideology . Akhmed Zakayev said Vadalov had been announced as the new Emir of the Caucasus Emirate because of a " loss of confidence among his ( Umarov ' s ) subordinates . [ The ] Methods of Dokku Umarov , including attacks against civilians , were not supported by militants . " He also said that Vadalov " is a supporter of other views and is not affected by ideologists of Wahhabism . " The Russian paper " Kommersant " had reported that Zakayev , sentenced to death by the Sharia Court of the Caucasus Emirate , had plans to establish contacts with Vadalov . Controversial appointment as " Emir of the Caucasus Emirate " . On 1 August 2010 the " state web site " of the Caucasus Emirate , " Kavkaz Center " reported that Doku Umarov had stepped down from his position as Emir of the Caucasus Emirate and appointed Vadalov to became his successor . On the video containing the anoncement Umarov states that " jihad should be led by younger and more energetic commanders . " However , when the Kavkaz Center site was restored on - line after a " service break " on 3 August 2010 , the original announcement had been replaced by one which stated , that Umarov only " proposed to appoint " Vadalov his successor . A few days later Umarov said he had no intention of stepping down and called the video announcing his resignation a fabrication . On August 13 , 2010 " Kavkaz Center " announced that Aslambek Vadalov had resigned from his post of Deputy Military Emir of the Caucasus Emirate . Rift with Umarov . Days after Umarov rescinded his resignation , Vadalov was said to have renounced adherence of an oath given to Umarov ; however it was said that while he ceases subordination to Umarov , he would remain loyal to the larger Caucasus Emirate . In July 2011 , a sharia court ruled in favour of Umarov to close the rift caused by Umarov ' s reorganisation of the " armed forces " of Chechnya , the disbanding the so - called " eastern and south - western fronts " and dividing Chechnya into " military sectors . " The court asked the rebels to re - swear allegiance to Umarov . Amir Khamzat , the commander of the Riyad - us Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs or the organisation ' s suicide battalion who has been named the commander of the western sector . Hussein Gakayev , who had been named to lead the eastern sector , Aslambek Vadalov and Tarkhan Gaziev consequently followed suit and re - affirmed their allegiance to Umarov .