Ilyas (Ilias) Gorchkhanov (1967 – 13 October 2005) was the first leader of the

Ingush Jamaat Vilayat Galgayche, formerly known as Ingush Jamaat, was an Islamist militant organization connected to numerous attacks against the local and federal security forces in the Russian regions of Ingushetia and Chechnya in the North Caucasus. Sinc ...

, which later became part of the Caucasus Front's

Ingushetia Ingushetia or Ingushetiya, officially the Republic of Ingushetia, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. The republic is part of the North Caucasian Federal District, and shares land borders with the country o ...

n Sector in

of the

Second Chechen War Names The Second Chechen War is also known as the Second Chechen Campaign () or the Second Russian Invasion of Chechnya from the Chechens, Chechen insurgents' point of view.Федеральный закон № 5-ФЗ от 12 января 19 ...

. Gorchkhanov, an ethnic

Ingush Ingush may refer to: * Ingush language, Northeast Caucasian language * Ingush people, an ethnic group of the North Caucasus See also *Ingushetia (disambiguation) Ingushetia is a federal republic and subject of Russia. Ingushetia may also refer ...

, allegedly started his military career as a volunteer fighting in

Chechnya Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea. The republic forms a part of the North Caucasian Federa ...

. When the Ingush Jamaat started taking shape, he became the leader of the

Nazran Nazran (; ) is the largest city in Ingushetia, Russia. It served as the republic's capital from 1991 to 2000, until it was replaced by Magas, which was built for this purpose. It is the most populous city in the republic: Etymology The name ...

unit and was later often cited as the leader of the entire Jamaat. He was closely associated with the Yarmuk Jamaat in

Kabardino-Balkaria Kabardino-Balkaria (), officially the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, is a republic of Russia located in the North Caucasus. As of the 2021 Census, its population was 904,200. Its capital is Nalchik. The area contains the highest mountain in ...

and, together with

Anzor Astemirov Anzor Astemirov (, 3 December 1976 – 24 March 2010), also known as Emir Sayfullah (Sword of God), was an Islamist leader in the republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, in the North Caucasus. For several years, Astemirov headed the local terroris ...

, was one of the first persons wanting to realize the

Caucasus Emirate The Caucasus Emirate (, IK; ), also known as the Caucasian Emirate, Emirate of Caucasus, or Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, was a jihadist organisation active in rebel-held parts of Syria and previously in the North Caucasus region of Russia. It ...

during the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

s. In October 2005, Gorchkhanov was one of the commanders of the

2005 Nalchik raid The 2005 raid on Nalchik was a Raid (military), raid by a large group of Islamic militants on Nalchik (pop. 250,000), in the Kabardino-Balkaria, Kabardino-Balkar Republic (KBR) of southern Russia, on 13 October 2005. A number of buildings asso ...

, an attack by a large group of militants on

Nalchik Nalchik (, ; ; ) is the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia, situated at an altitude of in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains; about northwest of Beslan (Beslan is in the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania). It covers an area of ...

, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, during which he was

killed in action Killed in action (KIA) is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their personnel at the hands of enemy or hostile forces at the moment of action. The United States Department of Defense, for example, ...

; some media reports dubbed him as the leader of the raid.Russia says rebel assault over; toll tops 100
nbcnews.com. Accessed 2 April 2024. After Gorchkhanov's death,

Akhmed Yevloyev Ali Musaevich Taziev (, ), also known as Akhmed Yevloev (; ), Magomet Yevloyev, and Emir Magas; born 19 August 1974) is the former leader of both the Ingushetia-based Ingush Jamaat and as the military wing of the Caucasus Emirate. On 30 Septe ...

succeeded him as the leader of the Ingush Jamaat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gorchkhanov, Ilyas 1967 births 2005 deaths Caucasian Front (militant group) Ingush people People of the Chechen wars Russian rebels Leaders of jihadist groups