Chechen Fighters Announce Jihad in Support of Iran
MOSCOW – Chechen military units have announced their readiness to be deployed to Iran to wage jihad in support of that country’s armed forces. This would be carried out if a United States (US) ground invasion is truly executed.
Press TV reported on Monday that the forces—loyal to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov—would intervene if the US launches a ground operation against Iran. This development occurs as tensions continue to rise following weeks of US and Israeli military operations targeting Iranian territory.
The Chechen units describe the ongoing confrontation as a “religious war,” Press TV reported, portraying it as a battle between opposing moral forces.
They stated that any direct intervention would constitute “jihad,” defining it as a struggle of “good against evil” in defence of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The population of Chechnya is almost entirely Sunni Muslim adherents of the Shafi’i school. Thus, support from Chechnya signals the first Sunni group potentially joining the war to aid Iran, whose population is predominantly Shia Muslim.
The Chechen forces allied with Ramzan Kadyrov—often referred to as “Kadyrovtsy”—were originally separatist units seeking to liberate their region from Russia. However, following a peace agreement, they have recently fought alongside Russian forces, including in Ukraine.
The report emerges amid growing indications that the United States is considering a ground attack after conducting airstrikes for weeks. The war began on 28 February during indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington, with the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with senior military figures and civilians, including more than 170 schoolchildren in Minab.
In response, Iran’s armed forces have conducted extensive retaliatory operations. Iran has launched dozens of waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israeli military positions and US bases across the region.
The situation is further complicated by reports of Ukraine’s involvement in the conflict. Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, stated in a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the Security Council that Kyiv has sent “hundreds of experts” to the area, Press TV reported.
He asserted that Ukraine is “actively participating in the military aggression” led by the United States and Israel.