Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya

Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya (Arabic: المجاهدون العرب في الشيشان‎‎)
Jihadist black flag and Coat Of Arms of the ChRI
Active	1995–2012
Allegiance	Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Caucasus Emirate since 2007
Type	Light Infantry
Size	500–700
Engagements	First Chechen War Second Chechen War Insurgency in the North Caucasus Nagorno-Karabakh War
Commanders
Emirs	Fathi al-Jordani (1995–1997) Abdurahman al-Zarki 1997-2000 Ibn al-Khattab 2000-2002 Abu al-Walid 2002-2004 Abu Hafs al-Urduni 2004-2006 Muhannad 2006-2011 Abdulla Kurd 2011

The Arab Mujahideen in Chechnya (Arabic: المجاهدين العرب في الشيشان‎‎, Al-Mujahidin Al-'Arab fi Al-Shishan; Russian: Арабские моджахеды в Чечне, Arabskiye Muzhakhady v Chechnye) was an international unit of Islamist Mujahideen that fought in Chechnya and other parts of the North Caucasus.

It was created by Fathi al-Jordani in 1995 during the First Chechen War, where it fought against the Russian Federation in favor of Chechnya's independence as the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. During the Second Chechen War it played an important part in further fighting.

The unit has been known by several names throughout its existence. Examples include the Mujahideen in Chechnya, the Islamic Regiment, the Islamic Battalion, the Arabs in Chechnya and the Ansaar in Chechnya. The term 'Arab Mujahideen' is often used by one of the rebels' official media outlets, Kavkaz Center.

Although the core of the unit has always consisted of Arab volunteers, a large number of its members are non-Arab (most notably Turkish) and some trace their ancestry to the Caucasus. It is not to be confused with the Special Purpose Islamic Regiment (SPIR), al-Qaeda’s 055 Brigade or the Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade (IIPB).

Foreign Mujahideen have played an important part in both First and Second Chechen Wars. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the subsequent Chechen declaration of independence, foreign fighters started entering the region and associated themselves with Chechen rebels, most notably Shamil Basayev with whom Khattab build up a friendship. Many of them were veterans of the Soviet-Afghan war and prior to the Russian invasion, they used their expertise to train the Chechen separatists.