Chechen Jihadi Groups Document Fighters' Participation In Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-Led Offensive In Syria, Leader Speaking From Hama And Damascus

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Chechen jihadi groups Ajnad Al-Kavkaz and Jaysh Al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA) have documented their participation in the Repelling the Aggression offensive, launched on November 27, 2024 by the Military Operations Command, comprising Syrian jihadi group Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) and other jihadi and militant factions, which culminated with the capture of the capital, Damascus, on December 8.

Ajnad Al-Kavkaz Leader Speaks In Hama And At Damascus' Umayyad Mosque

An X account affiliated with Ajnad Al-Kavkaz shared brief videos showing the group's leader, 'Abd Al-Malik Al-Shishani, issuing a congratulatory message to the Islamic ummah [nation] from the city of Hama after its "liberation" on December 5,[1] and another video of Al-Shishani delivering a similar message from inside the historic Umayyad Mosque of Damascus a few days later.[2] In both videos, the jihadi commander speaks in a Caucasian language.

Ajnad Al-Kavkaz And JMA Document Fighters' Participation In Anti-Assad Offensive

Other accounts affiliated with the Chechen groups shared photos and videos featuring the logos of both groups, documenting their participation in the offensive.

On November 29, a Telegram channel affiliated with the Chechen mujahideen posted a photo of several armed fighters, whose faces cannot be seen, with the Russian-language caption: "The mujahideen of Ajnad Al-Kavkaz, together with the mujahideen of Jaysh Al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, under the leadership of the Military Operations Command, are actively participating in repelling aggression on the Idlib fronts, as part of the operation Repelling the Aggression. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds!"[3]

On the following day, the channel shared photos showing large amounts of weapons and ammunition captured by the groups' fighters in the offensive.[4]

The channel also shared a photo of the emirs of both groups –JMA's shown with his face visible and Ajnad Al-Kavkaz's shown with his face obscured – in the recently "liberated" city of Saraqib, east of Idlib.[5]

On December 1, the channel shared a brief video showing a fighter in a village "liberated" by militants including the two Chechen groups. Shown inside a barracks of regime soldiers, the fighter can be seen ripping up a Syrian regime flag, and tearing down streamers with the flag. The camera shows large stockpiles of ammunition, RPGs, and mines, as well as the soldiers' living quarters, before showing a vehicle captured from the regime army driving away.[6]

On December 2, an X channel affiliated with the Chechen mujahideen shared a video clip showing a Chechen sniper shooting a regime soldier "during the ongoing battles in Syria." The video features the logos of both jihadi groups.[7]

Chechen Groups Capture Regime Soldiers Trying To Escape, Document Their Presence In Latakia

On December 4, the channel shared a photo and a brief video – featuring the logos of the two Chechen groups – showing two fighters, their faces digitally blurred, together with two captured men dressed as women. The channel wrote in Arabic: "Ajnad Al-Kavkaz and JMA capture two members of Assad forces who tried to change their clothes and hide."[8] The channel did not specify where in Syria this took place.

Two photos showing over a dozen armed fighters, their faces blurred, were shared by the channel on December 10. According to the Arabic caption, the photos, which do not feature any logo, show members of both groups in the city of Latakia, recently captured from the Assad regime.[9]

A jihadi X account shared photos showing Ajnad Al-Kavkaz fighters, along with members of several other foreign jihadi groups – including Uzbek group Katibat Al-Tawhid Wal-Jihad, Uyghur group Katibat Al-Ghuraba' Al-Turkestan, and Xhemati Alban (the Albanian Group) – participating in the offensive during its first days.[10] The Uyghur Turkestan Islamic Party (TIP) and Kurdish Ansar Al-Islam groups also documented their participation in the battles.[11]