Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev killed in Ingushetiya By Tomas Vrsovsky
PRAGUE / MOSCOW - Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev has been killed, Russian news agencies reported today, citing Federal Security Service (FSB) head Nikolay Patrushev. In the evening the news was confirned by pro-guerrilla Internet sources.
Last night, Basayev and other guerrilllas were killed in Ingushetia, Patrushev said, adding that what mostly contributed to his killing were "operative positions abroad".
Basayev died when an explosive-laden truck blew up last night in the Ingushetian village of Ekazhiyevo, several kilometers east of Nazran. One of the guerrillas killed in the blast was later recognized as Basayev. The warlord accompanied the truck with explosives in a passenger car but the blast was so strong that he had no chance to survive.
It's not clear whether Russian special services were directly involved in the blast or whether the explosion happened due to a mistake in the handling of the explosives.
His death comes on the eve of the G-8 summit in St Petersburg, where Western countries plan to criticize Russia for its human rights violations in Chechnya and undermining of democracy, and shortly after the killing of Ichkerian President and Chechen resistance leader Abdul-Khalim Sadullayev.
Having lost his family in a Russian attack during the first war in Chechnya, Basayev masterminded or claimed responsibility for most of the worst terrorist attacks in Russia's latest history, including the Dubrovka theather siege and the Beslan school siege. For some Chechens, however, Basayev continued to be a symbol of a brave leader opposing Russia's imperial aggression in the Caucasus. His death is a major victory for the Kremlin, but it is unlikely to crush Chechen armed resistance in the near future. (T)
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