Khalilov was unknown to Dagestani security forces prior to 1998. In the Soviet times he had served as a border guard along the border with Mongolia; after that, he was a co-owner of a family bakery. Khalilov came to the attention of the authorities in 1998 when he married the sister of the foreign mujahideen commander Ibn al-Khattab's ethnic Dargin wife; he moved to her home village of Karamakhi, which acquired notoriety in the summer of the same year, when its residents introduced Sharia law and declared an Islamic state.
Khalilov was previously unknown to Dagestani security forces until 1998. In the Soviet era, he worked as a border guard along the Mongolia border; afterwards, he co-owned a family bakery. Khalilov gained the attention of authorities in 1998 when he married the sister of Ibn al-Khattab's ethnic Dargin wife; he relocated to her hometown of Karamakhi, which became infamous that summer when its residents implemented Sharia law and declared an Islamic state.