Chechens in Syria are ethnic

Chechens The Chechens (; ce, Нохчий, , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus in Eastern Europe. "Eu ...

who form a small minority in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

History

Syria is home to a substantial Chechen population who emigrated there due to the

Chechen–Russian conflict The Chechen–Russian conflict (russian: Чеченский конфликт, ''Chechenskiy konflikt''; ce, Нохчийн-Оьрсийн дов, ''Noxçiyn-Örsiyn dov'') was the centuries-long conflict, often armed, between the Russian (form ...

. The initial Chechen migrants sometimes clashed with local Arab and

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

settlers, though they later peacefully integrated into Syrian society. After the Syrian Civil War's outbreak in 2011, however, about 3,000 Chechen militants also travelled to Syria in order to wage

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with G ...

there, and formed numerous anti-government militias. The most notable Chechen-led groups in Syria were Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, the

Caucasus Emirate The Caucasus Emirate ( ce, Имарат Кавказ, Imarat Kavkaz, IK; russian: Кавказский эмират, Kavkazskiy emirat), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a Jihadist ...

(Syrian branch),

Junud al-Sham Junud al-Sham (''Soldiers of the Levant''), sometimes also called Jund al-Sham, is a group of Chechen and Lebanese Sunni mujahideen that fight in the Syrian Civil War and were led by Muslim Abu Walid al Shishani until his death in 2021. Abu Tu ...

and

Ajnad al-Kavkaz , war = Syrian Civil War , image = Ajnad Al-Kavkaz flag.svg , caption = Flag of Ajnad al-Kavkaz. , groups = , active = 2015–''present'' , ideology = *Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamic ...

. The hostility of Chechens to the Assad Government is strengthened by the close relationship between

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

and the Assad Government, and long historical

. There are also recent Chechen soldiers working on the Assad side, mostly sent by strongman in Chechnya

Ramzan Kadyrov Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...

Population

There are no reliable figures on ethnic minorities in Syria, however, estimates on the Chechen minority ranged from 6,000 to 35,000 in 2008. The Chechen community in the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

were evicted following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, with many Chechen refugees moving to

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

whilst others emigrated abroad, especially to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Culture

Due to repression by the Syrian Ba'athist government, the Chechen minority have been little successful in preserving their language and culture. The ''Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics'' places the

Chechen language Chechen (, ) (, , ) is a Northeast Caucasian language spoken by 2 million people, mostly in the Chechen Republic and by members of the Chechen diaspora throughout Russia and the rest of Europe, Jordan, Central Asia (mainly Kazakhstan and Kyrgy ...

as the sixth-most spoken language in the country.

References

{{Demographics of Syria Ethnic groups in Syria