 In January 2009, he issued a statement declaring the Caucasus Emirate's support for the Palestinians in Gaza who at that time were under siege by the Israeli military; when he followed that with a declaration on 6 April appointing Umalat Magomedov (also known as al-Bara) to the role of Emir of the Dagestan Front, it suggested that Muhannad had a larger profile within the Caucasus Emirate than most believed a foreign fighter could attain, and that he had the legitimate ability to influence decisions made by Umarov.On 29 August 2010, Muhannad was one of two commanders who led an assault on the village of Tsentoroy, birthplace of Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.The audacious operation was ultimately defeated after several hours of heavy fighting that resulted in the deaths of twelve militants and five security officers.