The initial Chechen migrants sometimes clashed with local Arab and Druze settlers, though they later peacefully integrated into Syrian society.
[1] After the Syrian civil war's outbreak in 2011, however, about 3,000 Chechen militants also travelled to Syria in order to wage jihad there, and formed numerous anti-government militias.
The most notable Chechen-led groups in Syria were Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar, the Caucasus Emirate (Syrian branch), Junud al-Sham and Ajnad al-Kavkaz.
[3] There are also recent Chechen soldiers working on the Assad side, mostly sent by Chechnya's leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
[1] Due to repression by the Syrian Ba'athist government, the Chechen minority have had little success in preserving their language and culture.