An Islamic cleric in Chechnya has declared that the United States, Israel and the United Kingdom are all legitimate targets of global jihad.

Sheikh Dokku Khamatovich Umarov, the Amir of the North Caucasus, said in a statement issued Sunday that "Today, as throughout history, our condition can only be changed with a weapon in hand….Allah tells us to … prepare our forces to wage war, as much as we can."

The statement, distributed to the Chechen press, was entitled, "Dokka Umarov Declares the Islamic Emirate of the Caucasus, Expands Jihad."