Designation of Caucasus Emirate

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Designation of Caucasus Emirate


Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC

May 26, 2011




The Secretary of State has designated North Caucasus-based Caucasus Emirate (Imarat Kavkaz, IK) under Presidential Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists, terrorist organizations or acts of terrorism. This action will help stem the flow of financial and other assistance to the group.
Imarat Kavkaz uses bombings, shootings and attempted assassinations to provoke a revolution and expel the Russian government from the North Caucasus region.
In December 2009, investigators identified a May 15, 2009 suicide bombing outside the Chechnya Interior Ministry as being organized under Doku Umarov, IK’s senior leader. Since its attack against a Russia high-speed rail train in November 2009, IK has continued to threaten the Government of Russia. In addition to its attack on the high-speed Nevsky Express, IK also claimed responsibility for the January 2011 bombing at the Domodedovo airport that killed 36 people.
Umarov was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under Executive Order 13224 in June 2010 and listed at the United Nations 1267 al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee on March 10, 2011. “The designation of Caucasus Emirate is in response to the threats posed to the United States and Russia,” said Ambassador Daniel Benjamin, the Department of State’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism. “The attacks perpetrated by Caucasus Emirate illustrate the global nature of the terrorist problem we face today. We stand in solidarity with the Russian people in our condemnation of these deplorable terrorist acts.”
This designation represents just one phase of the United States Government’s response to the threat posed by Caucasus Emirate. The action taken today against IK supports the U.S. effort to degrade the group’s ability to mount attacks on Russian interests. We are determined to eliminate the group’s ability to direct violent attacks and to disrupt, dismantle and defeat IK’s network.


PRN: 2011/833