Emir Saad

Who is Emir Saad?

Alan Digorsky, better known as Emir Saad, is an Islamist militant and the first leader of the Ossetian Jamaat Kataib al-Khoul which later became part of the Caucasus Front's North Ossetian Sector in Russia's republic of North Ossetia–Alania during the Second Chechen War.

Not much is publicly known about Digorsky. His name, if genuine, would indicate that he is an ethnic Ossetian. When Kataib al-Khoul's existence was mentioned for the first time he was notified as its leader. He went by the nom de guerre Emir Saad, until he was mentioned by name in 2005 when he was appointed by Sheikh Abdul Halim to lead the Ossetian sector in the then established Caucasian Front. Since the creation of the Caucasus Emirate in 2007, his forces strive to end Russian control of North Ossetia and establish an Islamic state based on Sharia law. Although Ossetian Muslims are a minority group in the republic, Digorsky has been relatively active in his guerrilla campaign so far, claiming credit for the killings of several high-ranking officials and other attacks.