The obscure Russian jihadist whom Tamerlan Tsarnaev followed online
Posted by Caitlin Dewey on April 24, 2013 at 2:51 pm
A screenshot of Gadzhimurad Dolgatov from one of his videos. His T-shirt
refers to the Dagestan branch of the Caucasus Emirate. (YouTube)
Tamerlan Tsarnaev's YouTube account has been an object of fascination and
speculation since journalists and Web users first found it just hours after
the Boston bombing suspect's name was released. There's been particular
attention on the two videos he placed in a playlist labeled "terrorism,"
which involves a Dagestani jihadist virtually unknown outside his region.
The videos could hint at Tsarnaev's knowledge of foreign terrorists, at
least one expert says. Investigators say they have ruled out the possibility
that Tamerlan and his brother worked with an outside group, but the Internet
is a big place, and the corners where Tsarnaev may have spent his time could
give some clues as to what he believed.
The jihadist in the videos is Gadzhimurad Dolgatov, who used the nom de
guerre Abu Dujana and was the commander of a small insurgent group until he
was killed by Russian security forces not long into his career.
Even piecing together that much information about Dolgatov is difficult. An
apparently obscure figure, he rarely shows up in mainstream media, even in
Russia. Most of his videos have been pulled from YouTube. And, according to
regional experts, he wasn't an important figure even within his own
movement.
"There are hundreds of minor commanders within the North Caucasus
insurgency," explained Aslan Doukaev, a Chechen journalist and director of
Radio Free Europe's North Caucasus service, via e-mail. There's an
overarching regional separatist group called the Caucasus Emirate, Doukaev
explained, headed by a man named Doku Umarov. Within the Caucasus Emirate's
claimed territory, there are several vilayahs, or provinces, such as
Dagestan and Chechnya. Within those, there is a jumbled, confusing variety
of provincial fronts, sectors and semi-autonomous fighting groups that
loosely associate with one another.
Dolgatov was the commander of a small group in a small (but historically
unstable) district: Kizilyurt, a 62,000-person region of Dagestan, says Liz
Fuller, an analyst who has followed Chechnya since 1994.
But what Dolgatov did in that role, and how long he held it, is a matter of
some uncertainty. Fuller estimates that he rose to prominence less than two
years ago. According to D.C.-based research group the Jamestown Foundation,
the previous leader of the Kizilyurt group died in late July 2012, which
would make Dolgatov's time frame even shorter.
In either case, Dolgatov made several video missives during his tenure. The
Russian-language videos, many of which show a clean-shaven Dolgatov with
masked, gun-toting men, circulated on several local insurgent sites. In his
videos, Fuller says, Dolgatov is articulate and quotes the Koran from memory
in fluent Arabic. He also encourages young Muslims to embrace jihad; in one
video, he says, "if you think Islam can be spread without spilling a single
drop of blood, you're wrong," and, later, "only cowards and hypocrites seek
excuses not to join the jihad."
But the interesting thing about Dolgatov in particular is his obscurity. Law
enforcement officials do not believe there is any link between the Tsarnaevs
and outside terrorist groups. Even so, the fact that Tsarnaev even knew
about this minor Dagestani terrorist seems to suggest that the young man had
unusually detailed knowledge of the groups, North Caucasus expert Cerwyn
Moore told the Guardian.
"He's obviously aware of some of the clandestine groups operating in
Dagestan," Moore said. "This is a small sub-group. Abu Dujana is not a big
player. Federal forces have been successful recently at killing all the top
leaders."
Russian forces killed Dolgatov, according to CNN and Russian media, in late
December 2012. One month after Dolgatov had posted a video threatening to
assassinate the Kizilyurt police chief, Russian security forces raided the
Makhachkala apartment where Dolgatov was staying. He and as many as five
others died in the ensuing firefight.
"Several gunmen, who committed murders, extortions, robberies and armed
attacks were blocked at a residential house," reads an account from Russia's
state-owned ITAR-TASS news service. "Three of them were identified as
Gadzhimurad Dolgatov, who according to the information of the National
Anti-Terrorism Committee, was the warlord; Arsen Kuramagomedov, who was his
accomplice; and the host of the flat, Shamil Akhmedov."
But insurgent media, unsurprisingly, remembered Dolgatov differently: as a
hero who defended local Muslims from torture and abuse, including at the
hands of local police. On VDagestan, an insurgent Web site, commenters
called Dolgatov a "martyr" and a "brave lion of Allah."
"It is necessary to renew martyrdom attacks," wrote another.
It's not clear how or why Tsarnaev came to know about Dolgatov and his
career as a North Caucasus jihadist. But whether he stumbled upon Dolgatov's
videos by chance or was more closely following the ins and outs of Dagestan
insurgent groups, Tsarnaev appears to have ultimately followed the
jihadist's path from extremism to death.
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