Anzor Astemirov, the rebel leader in Kabardino-Balkaria, has taken credit for Doku Umarov’s formation of the Islamic Caucasus Emirate. Astemirov said the idea was first brought up in a meeting with Shamil Basayev in 2005. Astemirov again approached Umarov after Basayev was killed by Russian forces in the summer of 2006.
