2RHPZ
05-16-2004, 10:20 AM
http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/commodity/1089/id246.htm
Diary of a Foreign Freedom Fighter in Chechnya
February 14, 2000
"A few days ago I went with ** and about ** brothers as a relief column to meet
the brothers coming from Grozny en route. We took no food with us (I think the
Commander was expecting to reach a village the first night) apart from what some
brothers took as snacks for the day, and the route was entirely through the
mountains. This trek turned out to be by the toughest that probably any of us
have ever undertaken, clocking perhaps 45km on foot. Instead of one day we were
out in the mountains without supplies for four full days. During that time I had
food which all together would not even constitute one fifth of a normal meal!
This was also the case for the vast majority of brothers apart from a few wise
souls. The three nights were spent in the snow with no shelter and only the
clothes we were wearing during the day. The first night was high up on a
mountain side so we couldn't light a fire due to proximity of Russians. I
shudder even to think about it- my socks were thoroughly wet and I spent all
night shivering violently. At about 5 in the morning I tried to get up but found
that my stomach muscles got a cramp immediately. The next half an hour was spent
trying to stand and then walk!
The second and third night we able to light a fire and most brothers stayed
awake trying to stay warm. Anyways, by the second evening we were well behind
Russian lines and approaching the village on the periphery of the plains where
the brothers were awaiting us. Our column was also very long with perhaps an
hour between the first and last person. I was amongst the first batch when we
reached a decsended into a steep valley bed where brothers stopped to make wudhu
and pray. We'ed been buzzed all day by aircraft then realised that the Russians
were waiting for us to come into full range of one of the nearby posts. It was
at that moment that we came under mortar fire which rapidly came closer and
closer (a spotter must have been near by). Very quickly the shells were landing
in our midst.
I was with another brother when we heard one whisting towards us and both of us
crouched. It exploded a few metres to the rear, I got up immediately to move on
but the brother who was no more than 1-2m away keeled over. Alhamdullilah Allah
protected me from injury. A piece of shrapnel had gone right through his stomach
and out of his back. For the next minute or so he was gasping as we tried to get
his gear off and drag him into cover. We kept repeating the Kalimah (Islamic
Declaration of Faith) to him whilst holding him but I don't know whether he
could even hear us as he slipped away. He was just kept gasping deeply but less
and less frequently as the soul left the body to meet its Creator (insha-Allah).
All together five Mujahideen were killed in this contact. Whilst this was
occuring, the Russians were also trying to trap us in the valley by sending two
tanks to a road on the *** to our rear. The first tank was blown up by a young
Mujahid with an RPG (there were Chechen Mujahideen as young as fourteen years
old with us). He just came on to the road, swiftly took aim and fired. Whilst he
was doing this the tank was turning it's turret to blast him! The ordnance of
the tank was seen exploding well into the night which must have struck fear into
the hearts of the nearby Russians.
The Commander sent a few people onwards to the village to act as guides and the
rest of us managed to extract ourselves, the Shuhadaa (martyrs) and injured back
to relative safely. As mentioned above we slept again in the snow covered
mountain side but in scattered groups whereever there was sufficient cover for a
small fire. The next morning I went with one brother to the *** (the Russian
held road runs along ****) and the *** is on the otherside of the *** beyond.
The brothers from Grozny had set off during the night before and the Commander
was trying to steer them through the posts and meet with up with them. This is
in a completely snow laden landscape where there are very few distinctive
landmarks.
The Russians of course knew what was going on save the exact details and
regularly directed intense bursts of fire in our direction. Alhamdullilah they
were always slightly off mark. It was then that we met up with the column. A
moving sight; a column of of several hundred mujahideen emerging from the white
landscape in single file. ***** was amongst the leading group whom our Commander
greeted. After greeting him, I asked him the question that I had asked others on
previous occasions, where is ***** ?
All the brothers were obviously tired but very glad to see us. The severely
injured and recently killed were being carried on horseback with many others
being carried on stretchers or supported on the shoulders of others. The
brothers had walked all the way from Grozny through massive and vigilant Russian
forces; I have yet to calculate the distance but it's a great feat by any
measure.
Physically most of us were pushed to a new extreme and lost significant body
mass. Limbs were ceasing to function fully and all sorts of other things. For
the last two days I've been feeling pretty sick but Alhamdullilah am now better
than before. Insha'allah I shall make my own back up provisions for any future
excursions! As I write this I've heard on the wireless network that the second
batch of a around a thousand mujahideen have arrived. Additional to the dead
killed in action a further 12 have died en route. Someone has mentioned that two
of these were *** and it is likely that one of these was my friend, ***. He was
very seriously wounded in the stomach on the way out of Grozny and the journey
can only have been a further ordeal. I saw many other injured, including ***. I
went to see him yesterday but he was in no condition to recognise me; he had a
piece of shrapnel in his leg from Grozny and Subhanallah just as he was arriving
in ***, the truck he was in was strafed by an aircraft which blew away half his
left hand.
The medical facilities awaiting *** and other injured brothers are bare to say
the least. The hospital in *** is a bombed wreck and now the few patients it has
are in a cramped squalid room. The other hospital near *** where *** and another
brother are staying is little better (and that too is to be closed any day).
Medical expertise is limited to administering pain killers (rationed) and anti-biotics
with a saw to amputate wrecked limbs. Being seriously injured here is the
biggest trial that I've seen so I have made dua that Allah spares me from it.
What I would like to know is where are all the hundreds of Muslim Doctors who
for years will fervently pursue their careers in the West so that 'one day' they
can help the Muslims? Whilst they are bending over to please their Jewish
Consultants and satisfy the whims of the kuffar, great Mujahideen such as ***
writhe in unattended agony in some dank basement. Insha'allah Allah will reward
the suffering the Mujahideen are enduring for His Pleasure and He will question
(Allah knows best) those well fed & paid, smug Doctors about who they cured and
pleased whilst the Jihad was going on.
More generally, they have now intensified round the clock shelling and bombing
of the towns which is really taking its toll on the civilian population. It's
one thing being on the Front or in the field under fire, but there are few
experiences more testing than aircraft roaring over your head to fire rockets or
drop bombs. The room falls silent and you just wait. A few seconds later (if you
are still around) you are rocked by the house next to you being hit. A different
flavour of this experience can be tasted depending on whether the incoming is
from tanks, artillery, Grads or Scuds.
For the civilians, with all their belongings and family, this war is a nightmare
that you can't relate to unless you live though it with them. Not suprisingly
the people are tired of the war. Other news is that a few days ago the Russians
launched an all out assault on the *** controlling ***. Alhamdulillah the
Mujahideen repulsed them. However I know that at least one of the Commanders
expects them to attack again and the injured are also to be evacuated to ***.
The next two months preceding the elections this assault can only intensify.
They have para-dropped troops to *** recently where they have either been
repulsed with casualties or have withdrawn after a short presence.
It is impossible to give a general description of the Mujahideen as there are
groups from all over the Caucasus as well as the world. When I was in ***, there
could easily be a dozen different languages being spoken in the small building
we were living in.
This war has little to do with elections (which in Russia have always been an
establishment sham) but is about destroying the Muslims and the cancer of the
Mujahideen. It's been funded and (practically openly) supported by the West
under the direction of the Jews. The Russian Jewish oligarchy (led by
Berezovsky) collectively control the entire media, banking and industry as well
as many of the key ministries. It is they who picked Putin from nowhere and have
made him the leading Presidential contender on the basis of this war.
The essential fact to note is that Putin is not propagating this war for his
Presidential ambitions, but that Putin is only a tool (of the powers that be) to
wage war against the only element of true Tawheed and Islam in Russia. His
stated objectives from the very beginning have been not to invade Chechnya but
to destroy the 'terrorists' (i.e. us!). Anything less than our total defeat will
be defeat for Russia which as such leaves no place for negotiated withdrawals
the likes of the Khasavyurt Maskhadov-Lebed Accord in 1996.
A more likely scenario is a long guerilla war of attrition where we are pushed
further and further into the mountains with the Russians insha'allah taking many
casualties during their advance and from Mujahideen raids deep behind their
lines. Only when the numbers of Russian dead become too large to falsify will
the Russian public will start to become more vocally opposed to the war.
However, this is only outlook and the truth of course is that only Allah knows
where this war will go. This War started as abruptly as the last one ended and
will last as long as Allah wills.
The old Foreign Mujahideen have taken the war in their stride and are the real
backbone this organisation. Of the foreigners as a whole, the *** are the most
fun and courteous guys to be with. The other ethnic groups are too numerous to
describe.
I saw *** and another brother *** yesterday. They are Alhamdullilah a lot better
than before with *** walking about. However although ***'s wound has cleaned up,
the gap in his *** is very large and will probably need an operation. The
hospital in *** is even worse than one he is in now (!!) and the ONE DOCTOR(!)
we have is not keen to go there. Make dua that Allah makes things easy for him
and cures him swiftly... "
Brother X (Norweigan National), Chechnya, February 2000
February 23, 2000
The Russians are probing our defences and positions more aggressively. As I
finished writing the earlier sentence I heard on the radio that two brothers
from my contingent in Abu Jafar's Group were killed yesterday. Both were truly
excellent brothers with whom I lived and fought with in ***. Abu Ubaidah
(Yemen), one of the Yemeni brothers (in my opinion the most enjoyable company
amongst the Arabs) and a good friend of mine, and Abul Abbas (Kuwait)- another
sincere and really good brother- May Allah have Mercy on them. Whenever a friend
is killed, his memory stays on your mind constantly for several days. Abu
Ubaidah will be no different.
We finally retrieved the body of Chechen Mujahid Shamil Gergebil and three other
Mujahideen who had lain on Mount Waleed for over 3 weeks. Masha'allah their
bodies were in excellent condition; one of the brothers (Mohammed Derghin) was
almost as if he was still alive (his eyes were open & skin fresh)! The contrast
with the Russians bodies who were killed in the same operation is all too stark.
Some of the Russians in the days (3+ weeks ago now) following the same operation
were already decomposing (in the snow). One had his face eaten by crows whilst
their commanding officer had an empty sack where his brain had been!
All the brothers from our Unit have arrived back from Grozny. There was the long
winter march to the mountains during which some minor losses were sustained and
a column of ** Mujahideen (that's up to 6km in length) was split into two. The
larger column was nearby and took four days to get to the meeting point. Given
how tough this march was for us who were fully fit and rested at the beginning,
you can then imagine how impossible the journey must have been for Mujahideen
who had just fought their way through 40-50km of Russian held territory. The
second column was constantly harried by Russian aircraft and posts (Khalil
Ibrahim (Turkey) injured during the withdrawal from Grozny died from further
injury and exhaustion). Brothers fell asleep at the shortest stops and some
brothers with sticks hit those asleep on the path to prod them onwards. Despite
this a few went to sleep and died in the snow unknown to the rest. Some wandered
off the path and were not seen again. A group of three Chechens who have since
been found described how they wondered for miles in the mountains until they
couldn't move due to hunger and exhaustion. Then, Alhamdullilah, they heard
movement in the snow and saw a wild pig. They, without delay shot, cooked and
ate it. (Allah allows you to eat haraam when you have nothing else to eat, in
fact it becomes obligatory upon you to eat that food if you may die without it)
This allowed them to go onwards until they stumbled onto a Mujahideen post.
There many other and more heroic tales of individual hardship and suffering this
that will be never be known.
Two leading commanders were killed (Aslambeg & Khunkapash). Field Commander
Ismail (who wore a patch over one eye) was killed during the last week in
Grozny. Typically (Abu *** related the story to me), he died fighting to the end
against impossible odds defending his companions. The Russians had entered a
multi-storey school building in Grozny centre and Ismail went with ten brothers
to flush them out. Ismael had told some Mujahideen (from another group) to hold
an adjacent bridge to prevent Russian reinforcements from arriving. After close
quarters fighting they took the ground floor and isolated the Russians on the
floors above. He then started to shout at them from the stairs to surrender.
This went on for some time but unknown to him the group which was suppose to
hold the bridge had withdrawn without informing him. Predictably, whilst Ismail
was occupied inside the building, several hundred Russians came over the bridge
to surround the school. The ten brothers were then subjected to intense firing
from above and from the outside. Ismail was one of the first to be injured but
he continued to fight and direct the brothers. Apparently, a grenade was then
thrown near them at which point Ismail jumped onto a nearby brother to protect
him from the blast! He suffered serious shrapnel injuries (all over his back)
and was shaheed (martyred) soon afterwards. The brothers continued to fight
until Mujahideen reinforcements fought their way through the siege and made a
passage for the brothers to get out. The fighting was of course intense
throughout and the movements of the Mujahideen rapid. Of the ten brothers in the
building, five got out alive with the remaining five shaheed left inside the
building (now with the Russians). Ismail was one of Khattab's oldest, most
trusted and most formidable Chechen Commanders. He was one of the original
handful of fighters who fought against the Russians in the very first operation
of the First War (defence of Grozny in December 1994). A tall well built
brother, he was one of the brothers in whom you can detect no pride- always
smiling, friendly and welcoming to all whether he knew them or not.
Another very good friend was Saeed Mohammed from Ctari-Atagi (a town in
Chechnya). Saeed was a section commander under Commander Abu Dharr and he was
also killed in action during the last week in Grozny. I have just learnt that
another friend, Badruddin, was killed during the very early skirmishes against
the advancing Russians. Khalil Ibrahim (Turkey) has also been Shaheed. He, like
several others, died during the hard marchSouth of injuries sustained in Grozny.
Alhamdullilah it was a blessing to have known these brothers as they were
outstanding even amongst this elite group of Mujahideen. It seems to me that
some of the best brothers are the first to be Shaheed (martyred). They are
Shaheed but you feel sad that you will no longer have their company (there are
few blessings better than good company and these brothers were amongst the
best). However the strange thing is that they do not seem dead but more like
people you knew who have gone away for a while and whom, at the back of your
mind, you expect to see again!
The Russians are really pushing hard. All unanimously agree that this War is far
more intense and completely different in nature from the last war. They are
moving systematically to encircle the Mujahideen and trying to prevent freedom
of movement. In the indiscriminate (like animals they are bombing every village
and vehicle regardless of whether it is civilian or Mujahid) bombardment and the
Special Forces descents onto mountain peaks, they are trying to retain the
initiative after Grozny by bringing the war to us. The bombardment (Grads,
Aircraft, Artillery) has reached a new intensity with the bombs being used now
being up to several tonnes in weight. Aircraft bombed a field next to us
yesterday some 100m away that shook the whole house and left massive craters. We
also saw the aircraft swoop very low (maybe 150m) and drop two shrapnel bombs-
two cannisters which come floating down with parachutes and explode some metres
above ground level.
Two days ago, I was snoozing in a *** (parked in ***) outside a *** when we were
woken to the roar of rockets exploding along the side of a ***. We decided to
move to a safer location and on the way saw two Mujahideen (Group Arbi Barayev)
who had been right in the middle of the blitz and were martyred immediately- I
won't describe the injuries. Yesterday while I was getting water, artillery
started pounding my vicinity. During the night we were subjected to a blitz of
rockets and artillery rocking the house. All this is nothing unusual and does
not even deserve mentioning to the brothers here- it should however convey what
the Mujahideen (and remaining Chechen population) are undergoing. The scream of
aircraft swooping overhead (they've already fired by the time you hear them- and
if you have been directly targeted then you will hear nothing as the rockets
reach you before the sound!). The roar of Grads and the pounding of artillery
can test even the strongest of nerves. The room falls silent and everyone
mutters a quick dua! If you are in the middle of the targeted area, there are no
warning sounds- just boom! [Note by Azzam Publications: Once the Prophet (SAWS)
was asked, "Is the Mujahid tested in his grave?" He (SAWS) answered."The waving
of swords above his head is a sufficient test for him!", meaning that one who
goes through all this bombardment for Allah has proven his Iman in Allah, so
there is no longer a need to ask him theoretical questions about his Iman.]
The civilians are completely exhausted and sick of the war. The ones who have
remained behind have nowhere else to go or cannot afford to. A dozen or so of
them are killed every day. There are many human rights abuses going on: shrapnel
bombs, fuel bombs, in addition to everything else they are using completely
indiscriminately. It's so obvious that the West is part of this war. Look at the
way they treat, threaten, impose sanctions for years to make Muslims suffer
(Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.) at the slightest excuse (women's
rights, democracy, alleged terrorism) but completely turn a blind eye when it
suits them or lift token sanctions as soon as they can (see Israel and Serbia).
When a bomb (allegedly Chechen but really Russian) goes off in Moscow, they call
it terrorism, but when a massive (Christian) army bombs a tiny country to bits
deliberately targeting Muslims settlements and people, raping and looting (we
caught three Russian soldiers looting in *** the other day) for good measure,
they've nothing more than blithe meaningless comments to make. Whilst at the
same time giving aid of every sort and name! They don't even make an effort to
hide this, and why should they given the pathetic & craven Muslim (so-called)
leaders we have like King Fahd who has issued a Royal Decree banning dua for the
Mujahideen in the mosques of Saudi Arabia.
Columns of hundreds of armoured vehicles have been seen arriving at the front at
*** and as I've mentioned above, the skirmishes are increasing in number and
intensity. All the signs are there of an imminent all out offensive to conclude
this campaign before the elections and the coming of spring. This war is
basically the Mujahideen again the whole world. The Russians are getting support
(open and covert) of every kind from the West and the Jews. The military tactics
they are using are obviously formulated with outside assistance to try to crush
the tiny number of Mujahideen in Chechnya, which they will never do insha-Allah
until the Earth is made wet with the blood of every single Mujahid in Chechnya.
Alhamdullilah the Mujahideen place their trust in the Power of Allah and that
more than suffices against the strange world we live in.
Four days on...
The Russians are moving fast and bombing furiously. The usual are aircraft
swooping over the countryside looking for any moving vehicles or activity before
bombing the least damaged buildings. Grads, tank & howitzer artillery, fuel
bombs (awesome damage), shrapnel bombs etc. However yesterday morning just after
Fajr (Dawn) in ***, I heard the drone of heavy high altitude propeller aircraft.
I thought it was just the usual flight of reconnaissance aircraft (there are up
to several each hour). After perhaps a minute, the *** we were in was rocked as
high pay load bombs started to explode throughout *** (really no larger than a
big ***). This the first time I have seen this sort of carpet bombing
(experience similar to Grads) although they frequently subjected Grozny to this.
Everyone muttered the usual duas expecting the walls to implode at any moment.
Alhamdullilah, Allah protected us. There are civilian casualties and fatalities
everyday as the Russians try to build up the momentum.
Russians are also making heli-descents on the high peaks. Yesterday we all saw a
large descent on a high ridge overlooking the entire *** Valley. Alhamdullilah,
elsewhere they stuck their necks out a bit too far and the brothers destroyed a
helicopter with its occupants as it was landing near a village *** several miles
south of ***. The peaks around *** have undergone several infantry attacks which
Alhamdullilah have been repulsed.
In addition to Abu Ubaidah (Yemen) and Abul-Abbas (Kuwait), I have learnt since
that Abu Mujahid (one of the Junior Chechen commanders under Abu Jafar Al-Yemeni)
and Jauwhar Al-Mongoli were killed. Nearby, the next day a Russian aircraft
rocketed a *** in which a small contingent of Abu Jafar's group were sleeping
killing Khallad Al-Madani (Madinah) and injuring another brother (this now means
that out of 7-8 of us who use to share a room in ***, four have have been
killed). Of course there are Shaheed I do not manage to see or know.
Having said all of that, Alhamdullilah morale is good and brothers are looking
forward to the operations that are inevitable. The weather has become noticeably
milder, the scenery is fabulous although there is still snow around and no
foliage cover. Insha-Allah by the end of March the winter will be truly behind
us and the summer not far off. However the intervening time is sure to be
interesting so make dua that all goes well. Insha-Allah the news will be good.
Brother X (Norweigan National), Chechnya, February 2000
Diary of a Foreign Freedom Fighter in Chechnya
February 14, 2000
"A few days ago I went with ** and about ** brothers as a relief column to meet
the brothers coming from Grozny en route. We took no food with us (I think the
Commander was expecting to reach a village the first night) apart from what some
brothers took as snacks for the day, and the route was entirely through the
mountains. This trek turned out to be by the toughest that probably any of us
have ever undertaken, clocking perhaps 45km on foot. Instead of one day we were
out in the mountains without supplies for four full days. During that time I had
food which all together would not even constitute one fifth of a normal meal!
This was also the case for the vast majority of brothers apart from a few wise
souls. The three nights were spent in the snow with no shelter and only the
clothes we were wearing during the day. The first night was high up on a
mountain side so we couldn't light a fire due to proximity of Russians. I
shudder even to think about it- my socks were thoroughly wet and I spent all
night shivering violently. At about 5 in the morning I tried to get up but found
that my stomach muscles got a cramp immediately. The next half an hour was spent
trying to stand and then walk!
The second and third night we able to light a fire and most brothers stayed
awake trying to stay warm. Anyways, by the second evening we were well behind
Russian lines and approaching the village on the periphery of the plains where
the brothers were awaiting us. Our column was also very long with perhaps an
hour between the first and last person. I was amongst the first batch when we
reached a decsended into a steep valley bed where brothers stopped to make wudhu
and pray. We'ed been buzzed all day by aircraft then realised that the Russians
were waiting for us to come into full range of one of the nearby posts. It was
at that moment that we came under mortar fire which rapidly came closer and
closer (a spotter must have been near by). Very quickly the shells were landing
in our midst.
I was with another brother when we heard one whisting towards us and both of us
crouched. It exploded a few metres to the rear, I got up immediately to move on
but the brother who was no more than 1-2m away keeled over. Alhamdullilah Allah
protected me from injury. A piece of shrapnel had gone right through his stomach
and out of his back. For the next minute or so he was gasping as we tried to get
his gear off and drag him into cover. We kept repeating the Kalimah (Islamic
Declaration of Faith) to him whilst holding him but I don't know whether he
could even hear us as he slipped away. He was just kept gasping deeply but less
and less frequently as the soul left the body to meet its Creator (insha-Allah).
All together five Mujahideen were killed in this contact. Whilst this was
occuring, the Russians were also trying to trap us in the valley by sending two
tanks to a road on the *** to our rear. The first tank was blown up by a young
Mujahid with an RPG (there were Chechen Mujahideen as young as fourteen years
old with us). He just came on to the road, swiftly took aim and fired. Whilst he
was doing this the tank was turning it's turret to blast him! The ordnance of
the tank was seen exploding well into the night which must have struck fear into
the hearts of the nearby Russians.
The Commander sent a few people onwards to the village to act as guides and the
rest of us managed to extract ourselves, the Shuhadaa (martyrs) and injured back
to relative safely. As mentioned above we slept again in the snow covered
mountain side but in scattered groups whereever there was sufficient cover for a
small fire. The next morning I went with one brother to the *** (the Russian
held road runs along ****) and the *** is on the otherside of the *** beyond.
The brothers from Grozny had set off during the night before and the Commander
was trying to steer them through the posts and meet with up with them. This is
in a completely snow laden landscape where there are very few distinctive
landmarks.
The Russians of course knew what was going on save the exact details and
regularly directed intense bursts of fire in our direction. Alhamdullilah they
were always slightly off mark. It was then that we met up with the column. A
moving sight; a column of of several hundred mujahideen emerging from the white
landscape in single file. ***** was amongst the leading group whom our Commander
greeted. After greeting him, I asked him the question that I had asked others on
previous occasions, where is ***** ?
All the brothers were obviously tired but very glad to see us. The severely
injured and recently killed were being carried on horseback with many others
being carried on stretchers or supported on the shoulders of others. The
brothers had walked all the way from Grozny through massive and vigilant Russian
forces; I have yet to calculate the distance but it's a great feat by any
measure.
Physically most of us were pushed to a new extreme and lost significant body
mass. Limbs were ceasing to function fully and all sorts of other things. For
the last two days I've been feeling pretty sick but Alhamdullilah am now better
than before. Insha'allah I shall make my own back up provisions for any future
excursions! As I write this I've heard on the wireless network that the second
batch of a around a thousand mujahideen have arrived. Additional to the dead
killed in action a further 12 have died en route. Someone has mentioned that two
of these were *** and it is likely that one of these was my friend, ***. He was
very seriously wounded in the stomach on the way out of Grozny and the journey
can only have been a further ordeal. I saw many other injured, including ***. I
went to see him yesterday but he was in no condition to recognise me; he had a
piece of shrapnel in his leg from Grozny and Subhanallah just as he was arriving
in ***, the truck he was in was strafed by an aircraft which blew away half his
left hand.
The medical facilities awaiting *** and other injured brothers are bare to say
the least. The hospital in *** is a bombed wreck and now the few patients it has
are in a cramped squalid room. The other hospital near *** where *** and another
brother are staying is little better (and that too is to be closed any day).
Medical expertise is limited to administering pain killers (rationed) and anti-biotics
with a saw to amputate wrecked limbs. Being seriously injured here is the
biggest trial that I've seen so I have made dua that Allah spares me from it.
What I would like to know is where are all the hundreds of Muslim Doctors who
for years will fervently pursue their careers in the West so that 'one day' they
can help the Muslims? Whilst they are bending over to please their Jewish
Consultants and satisfy the whims of the kuffar, great Mujahideen such as ***
writhe in unattended agony in some dank basement. Insha'allah Allah will reward
the suffering the Mujahideen are enduring for His Pleasure and He will question
(Allah knows best) those well fed & paid, smug Doctors about who they cured and
pleased whilst the Jihad was going on.
More generally, they have now intensified round the clock shelling and bombing
of the towns which is really taking its toll on the civilian population. It's
one thing being on the Front or in the field under fire, but there are few
experiences more testing than aircraft roaring over your head to fire rockets or
drop bombs. The room falls silent and you just wait. A few seconds later (if you
are still around) you are rocked by the house next to you being hit. A different
flavour of this experience can be tasted depending on whether the incoming is
from tanks, artillery, Grads or Scuds.
For the civilians, with all their belongings and family, this war is a nightmare
that you can't relate to unless you live though it with them. Not suprisingly
the people are tired of the war. Other news is that a few days ago the Russians
launched an all out assault on the *** controlling ***. Alhamdulillah the
Mujahideen repulsed them. However I know that at least one of the Commanders
expects them to attack again and the injured are also to be evacuated to ***.
The next two months preceding the elections this assault can only intensify.
They have para-dropped troops to *** recently where they have either been
repulsed with casualties or have withdrawn after a short presence.
It is impossible to give a general description of the Mujahideen as there are
groups from all over the Caucasus as well as the world. When I was in ***, there
could easily be a dozen different languages being spoken in the small building
we were living in.
This war has little to do with elections (which in Russia have always been an
establishment sham) but is about destroying the Muslims and the cancer of the
Mujahideen. It's been funded and (practically openly) supported by the West
under the direction of the Jews. The Russian Jewish oligarchy (led by
Berezovsky) collectively control the entire media, banking and industry as well
as many of the key ministries. It is they who picked Putin from nowhere and have
made him the leading Presidential contender on the basis of this war.
The essential fact to note is that Putin is not propagating this war for his
Presidential ambitions, but that Putin is only a tool (of the powers that be) to
wage war against the only element of true Tawheed and Islam in Russia. His
stated objectives from the very beginning have been not to invade Chechnya but
to destroy the 'terrorists' (i.e. us!). Anything less than our total defeat will
be defeat for Russia which as such leaves no place for negotiated withdrawals
the likes of the Khasavyurt Maskhadov-Lebed Accord in 1996.
A more likely scenario is a long guerilla war of attrition where we are pushed
further and further into the mountains with the Russians insha'allah taking many
casualties during their advance and from Mujahideen raids deep behind their
lines. Only when the numbers of Russian dead become too large to falsify will
the Russian public will start to become more vocally opposed to the war.
However, this is only outlook and the truth of course is that only Allah knows
where this war will go. This War started as abruptly as the last one ended and
will last as long as Allah wills.
The old Foreign Mujahideen have taken the war in their stride and are the real
backbone this organisation. Of the foreigners as a whole, the *** are the most
fun and courteous guys to be with. The other ethnic groups are too numerous to
describe.
I saw *** and another brother *** yesterday. They are Alhamdullilah a lot better
than before with *** walking about. However although ***'s wound has cleaned up,
the gap in his *** is very large and will probably need an operation. The
hospital in *** is even worse than one he is in now (!!) and the ONE DOCTOR(!)
we have is not keen to go there. Make dua that Allah makes things easy for him
and cures him swiftly... "
Brother X (Norweigan National), Chechnya, February 2000
February 23, 2000
The Russians are probing our defences and positions more aggressively. As I
finished writing the earlier sentence I heard on the radio that two brothers
from my contingent in Abu Jafar's Group were killed yesterday. Both were truly
excellent brothers with whom I lived and fought with in ***. Abu Ubaidah
(Yemen), one of the Yemeni brothers (in my opinion the most enjoyable company
amongst the Arabs) and a good friend of mine, and Abul Abbas (Kuwait)- another
sincere and really good brother- May Allah have Mercy on them. Whenever a friend
is killed, his memory stays on your mind constantly for several days. Abu
Ubaidah will be no different.
We finally retrieved the body of Chechen Mujahid Shamil Gergebil and three other
Mujahideen who had lain on Mount Waleed for over 3 weeks. Masha'allah their
bodies were in excellent condition; one of the brothers (Mohammed Derghin) was
almost as if he was still alive (his eyes were open & skin fresh)! The contrast
with the Russians bodies who were killed in the same operation is all too stark.
Some of the Russians in the days (3+ weeks ago now) following the same operation
were already decomposing (in the snow). One had his face eaten by crows whilst
their commanding officer had an empty sack where his brain had been!
All the brothers from our Unit have arrived back from Grozny. There was the long
winter march to the mountains during which some minor losses were sustained and
a column of ** Mujahideen (that's up to 6km in length) was split into two. The
larger column was nearby and took four days to get to the meeting point. Given
how tough this march was for us who were fully fit and rested at the beginning,
you can then imagine how impossible the journey must have been for Mujahideen
who had just fought their way through 40-50km of Russian held territory. The
second column was constantly harried by Russian aircraft and posts (Khalil
Ibrahim (Turkey) injured during the withdrawal from Grozny died from further
injury and exhaustion). Brothers fell asleep at the shortest stops and some
brothers with sticks hit those asleep on the path to prod them onwards. Despite
this a few went to sleep and died in the snow unknown to the rest. Some wandered
off the path and were not seen again. A group of three Chechens who have since
been found described how they wondered for miles in the mountains until they
couldn't move due to hunger and exhaustion. Then, Alhamdullilah, they heard
movement in the snow and saw a wild pig. They, without delay shot, cooked and
ate it. (Allah allows you to eat haraam when you have nothing else to eat, in
fact it becomes obligatory upon you to eat that food if you may die without it)
This allowed them to go onwards until they stumbled onto a Mujahideen post.
There many other and more heroic tales of individual hardship and suffering this
that will be never be known.
Two leading commanders were killed (Aslambeg & Khunkapash). Field Commander
Ismail (who wore a patch over one eye) was killed during the last week in
Grozny. Typically (Abu *** related the story to me), he died fighting to the end
against impossible odds defending his companions. The Russians had entered a
multi-storey school building in Grozny centre and Ismail went with ten brothers
to flush them out. Ismael had told some Mujahideen (from another group) to hold
an adjacent bridge to prevent Russian reinforcements from arriving. After close
quarters fighting they took the ground floor and isolated the Russians on the
floors above. He then started to shout at them from the stairs to surrender.
This went on for some time but unknown to him the group which was suppose to
hold the bridge had withdrawn without informing him. Predictably, whilst Ismail
was occupied inside the building, several hundred Russians came over the bridge
to surround the school. The ten brothers were then subjected to intense firing
from above and from the outside. Ismail was one of the first to be injured but
he continued to fight and direct the brothers. Apparently, a grenade was then
thrown near them at which point Ismail jumped onto a nearby brother to protect
him from the blast! He suffered serious shrapnel injuries (all over his back)
and was shaheed (martyred) soon afterwards. The brothers continued to fight
until Mujahideen reinforcements fought their way through the siege and made a
passage for the brothers to get out. The fighting was of course intense
throughout and the movements of the Mujahideen rapid. Of the ten brothers in the
building, five got out alive with the remaining five shaheed left inside the
building (now with the Russians). Ismail was one of Khattab's oldest, most
trusted and most formidable Chechen Commanders. He was one of the original
handful of fighters who fought against the Russians in the very first operation
of the First War (defence of Grozny in December 1994). A tall well built
brother, he was one of the brothers in whom you can detect no pride- always
smiling, friendly and welcoming to all whether he knew them or not.
Another very good friend was Saeed Mohammed from Ctari-Atagi (a town in
Chechnya). Saeed was a section commander under Commander Abu Dharr and he was
also killed in action during the last week in Grozny. I have just learnt that
another friend, Badruddin, was killed during the very early skirmishes against
the advancing Russians. Khalil Ibrahim (Turkey) has also been Shaheed. He, like
several others, died during the hard marchSouth of injuries sustained in Grozny.
Alhamdullilah it was a blessing to have known these brothers as they were
outstanding even amongst this elite group of Mujahideen. It seems to me that
some of the best brothers are the first to be Shaheed (martyred). They are
Shaheed but you feel sad that you will no longer have their company (there are
few blessings better than good company and these brothers were amongst the
best). However the strange thing is that they do not seem dead but more like
people you knew who have gone away for a while and whom, at the back of your
mind, you expect to see again!
The Russians are really pushing hard. All unanimously agree that this War is far
more intense and completely different in nature from the last war. They are
moving systematically to encircle the Mujahideen and trying to prevent freedom
of movement. In the indiscriminate (like animals they are bombing every village
and vehicle regardless of whether it is civilian or Mujahid) bombardment and the
Special Forces descents onto mountain peaks, they are trying to retain the
initiative after Grozny by bringing the war to us. The bombardment (Grads,
Aircraft, Artillery) has reached a new intensity with the bombs being used now
being up to several tonnes in weight. Aircraft bombed a field next to us
yesterday some 100m away that shook the whole house and left massive craters. We
also saw the aircraft swoop very low (maybe 150m) and drop two shrapnel bombs-
two cannisters which come floating down with parachutes and explode some metres
above ground level.
Two days ago, I was snoozing in a *** (parked in ***) outside a *** when we were
woken to the roar of rockets exploding along the side of a ***. We decided to
move to a safer location and on the way saw two Mujahideen (Group Arbi Barayev)
who had been right in the middle of the blitz and were martyred immediately- I
won't describe the injuries. Yesterday while I was getting water, artillery
started pounding my vicinity. During the night we were subjected to a blitz of
rockets and artillery rocking the house. All this is nothing unusual and does
not even deserve mentioning to the brothers here- it should however convey what
the Mujahideen (and remaining Chechen population) are undergoing. The scream of
aircraft swooping overhead (they've already fired by the time you hear them- and
if you have been directly targeted then you will hear nothing as the rockets
reach you before the sound!). The roar of Grads and the pounding of artillery
can test even the strongest of nerves. The room falls silent and everyone
mutters a quick dua! If you are in the middle of the targeted area, there are no
warning sounds- just boom! [Note by Azzam Publications: Once the Prophet (SAWS)
was asked, "Is the Mujahid tested in his grave?" He (SAWS) answered."The waving
of swords above his head is a sufficient test for him!", meaning that one who
goes through all this bombardment for Allah has proven his Iman in Allah, so
there is no longer a need to ask him theoretical questions about his Iman.]
The civilians are completely exhausted and sick of the war. The ones who have
remained behind have nowhere else to go or cannot afford to. A dozen or so of
them are killed every day. There are many human rights abuses going on: shrapnel
bombs, fuel bombs, in addition to everything else they are using completely
indiscriminately. It's so obvious that the West is part of this war. Look at the
way they treat, threaten, impose sanctions for years to make Muslims suffer
(Afghanistan, Iraq, Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.) at the slightest excuse (women's
rights, democracy, alleged terrorism) but completely turn a blind eye when it
suits them or lift token sanctions as soon as they can (see Israel and Serbia).
When a bomb (allegedly Chechen but really Russian) goes off in Moscow, they call
it terrorism, but when a massive (Christian) army bombs a tiny country to bits
deliberately targeting Muslims settlements and people, raping and looting (we
caught three Russian soldiers looting in *** the other day) for good measure,
they've nothing more than blithe meaningless comments to make. Whilst at the
same time giving aid of every sort and name! They don't even make an effort to
hide this, and why should they given the pathetic & craven Muslim (so-called)
leaders we have like King Fahd who has issued a Royal Decree banning dua for the
Mujahideen in the mosques of Saudi Arabia.
Columns of hundreds of armoured vehicles have been seen arriving at the front at
*** and as I've mentioned above, the skirmishes are increasing in number and
intensity. All the signs are there of an imminent all out offensive to conclude
this campaign before the elections and the coming of spring. This war is
basically the Mujahideen again the whole world. The Russians are getting support
(open and covert) of every kind from the West and the Jews. The military tactics
they are using are obviously formulated with outside assistance to try to crush
the tiny number of Mujahideen in Chechnya, which they will never do insha-Allah
until the Earth is made wet with the blood of every single Mujahid in Chechnya.
Alhamdullilah the Mujahideen place their trust in the Power of Allah and that
more than suffices against the strange world we live in.
Four days on...
The Russians are moving fast and bombing furiously. The usual are aircraft
swooping over the countryside looking for any moving vehicles or activity before
bombing the least damaged buildings. Grads, tank & howitzer artillery, fuel
bombs (awesome damage), shrapnel bombs etc. However yesterday morning just after
Fajr (Dawn) in ***, I heard the drone of heavy high altitude propeller aircraft.
I thought it was just the usual flight of reconnaissance aircraft (there are up
to several each hour). After perhaps a minute, the *** we were in was rocked as
high pay load bombs started to explode throughout *** (really no larger than a
big ***). This the first time I have seen this sort of carpet bombing
(experience similar to Grads) although they frequently subjected Grozny to this.
Everyone muttered the usual duas expecting the walls to implode at any moment.
Alhamdullilah, Allah protected us. There are civilian casualties and fatalities
everyday as the Russians try to build up the momentum.
Russians are also making heli-descents on the high peaks. Yesterday we all saw a
large descent on a high ridge overlooking the entire *** Valley. Alhamdullilah,
elsewhere they stuck their necks out a bit too far and the brothers destroyed a
helicopter with its occupants as it was landing near a village *** several miles
south of ***. The peaks around *** have undergone several infantry attacks which
Alhamdullilah have been repulsed.
In addition to Abu Ubaidah (Yemen) and Abul-Abbas (Kuwait), I have learnt since
that Abu Mujahid (one of the Junior Chechen commanders under Abu Jafar Al-Yemeni)
and Jauwhar Al-Mongoli were killed. Nearby, the next day a Russian aircraft
rocketed a *** in which a small contingent of Abu Jafar's group were sleeping
killing Khallad Al-Madani (Madinah) and injuring another brother (this now means
that out of 7-8 of us who use to share a room in ***, four have have been
killed). Of course there are Shaheed I do not manage to see or know.
Having said all of that, Alhamdullilah morale is good and brothers are looking
forward to the operations that are inevitable. The weather has become noticeably
milder, the scenery is fabulous although there is still snow around and no
foliage cover. Insha-Allah by the end of March the winter will be truly behind
us and the summer not far off. However the intervening time is sure to be
interesting so make dua that all goes well. Insha-Allah the news will be good.
Brother X (Norweigan National), Chechnya, February 2000