Prior to his 2007 declaration of the Caucasus Emirate , Umarov was commonly viewed as a staunch Chechen nationalist .
Prior to his 2007 declaration of the Caucasus Emirate , Umarov was commonly had been expected to rather curb the pan-Islamist tendencies in the Chechen separatist movement .
Prior to his 2007 declaration of the Caucasus Emirate , Umarov was commonly viewed as a staunch Chechen nationalist and had been expected to rather curb the pan-Islamist tendencies in the Chechen separatist movement .