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Interview with Umarov, North Caucasus Amir

The attention of Western analysts today was focused on Abu Yahya al-Libi’s statement on Somalia. I read it and there’s not a lot there. Basically, Libi says keep fighting, no matter who is in power, until an Islamic state is established. More interesting is Kavkaz Center’s newly-released interview with Dokka Umarov, the amir of the North Caucasus Emirate that he declared at the end of 2007. Here’s what stands out: The decision to declare an emirate was not taken lightly and occurred after much debate. Umarov acknowledges that he has taken a lot of heat from fellow travelers for aligning himself ideologically with al-Qaeda and declaring war on the world. The mujahids do control some territory, but their control is not absolute. Therefore, he does not want his supporters rushing to form a state. The two translations, Arabic and English, diverge over what sort of state Umarov is talking about.

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