Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Dawowa Chechnya, Umarov ya zama magajin Isa Munayev a matsayin kwamandan Southeastern Front (wanda ya kunshi kimanin mayakan 1,000 a shekara ta 2004), yankin soja a kudu maso yammacin Grozny wanda ke iyaka da Georgia da Ingushetia. An dauke shi a matsayin abokin kawancen Shamil Basayev, wanda ke zaune a kudu maso gabashin Vedensky District. A cikin 2003, Umarov ya jagoranci mutanensa a cikin mummunan fada a kusa da garin Shatoy kuma, a cewar majiyoyin Rasha, ya ba da umarnin kai harin bam a hedkwatar FSB na Ingushetia a babban birnin Ingush na Magas da kuma kai hari kan kayayyakin aikin lantarki a garin Kislovodsk a cikin Stavropol Krai. Bayan mutuwar Gelayev a watan Fabrairun 2004, yawancin mutanensa da suka rage sun shiga kungiyar Umarov. A lokacin bazara na gaba, tare da Basayev, Umarov ya kasance daya daga cikin shugabannin
wani babban hari da mayakan Chechen da Ingush suka kai wanda ya kashe dubban jami'an Ingushetia da membobin jami'an tsaro kuma sun kwace iko a kan babban garin jamhuriyar, Nazran.