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More gunmen killed in Chechnya, including Basayev associate
 (Itar-Tass) - Several gunmen have been liquidated in the Vedeno district of Chechnya together with a closest associate of Shamil Basayev and the ringleader of a major bandit group Suleiman Elmurzayev with the nickname Khairulla. Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said, The operation preparation took two weeks and few people knew about it. According to him, Ten more gunmen were together with Elmurzayev and there were wounded and killed among them. The Chechen republic head stressed that Elmurzayev had said in his time that he was involved in the terrorist attack at the Dynamo stadium in Grozny on May 9, 2004 in which the first Chechen President Akhmat-khadzhi Kadyrov was assassinated and said that Ramzan Kadyrov was going to be the second. Kadyrov said that the work to search for other ringleaders of bandit groups is continuing. I think the results will appear by May 9, said the Chechen president. According to the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) department for the Chechen republic, Suleiman Elmurzayev, 32, born in the Chapayevo settlement of the Novolaksk district of Dagestan, had been put on the international wanted list through the Interpol back in 2004. According to law enforcement agencies, he was involved in firing at a Mi-8 helicopter in the area of the Dyshne-Vedeno settlement on August 1, 2003. The helicopter that came under fire from the ground exploded in the air. The crew commander was killed, the second pilot and flight engineer got burns and injuries. Khairulla was a closest assistant of terrorist leader Shamil Basayev. In October 2004, Basayev appointed him the so-called emir responsible for the Nozhai-Yurt, Kurchaloi and Vedeno districts and in November 2004 became the first deputy of Basayev. On instruction of Ichkeria head Aslan Maskhadov, Elmurzayev was in command of an attack of gunmen on the Avtury settlement on July 12-13, 2004. In September 2006, he was given the brigadier general rank. Then there were 50-60 militants under his command. According to the republics FSB department, he was involved in a number of serious and socially grave crimes assassination of Akhmat Kadyrov on May 9, 2004, as well as attacks on and murders of servicemen of federal troops, Chechen policemen and peaceful civilians of the republic, as well as organisation of a mutiny in Dagestan in September 2004. Chechen Vice Prime Minister in charge of security affairs Adam Delimkhanov told Itar-Tass earlier on Wednesday, Officers of the FSB, republics special police force OMON and Akhmat Kadyrov regiment conducted the operation at the outskirts of the Agish-Batoi settlement at about 03:00 a.m. There were no losses among the personnel, the vice prime minister noted. According to him, the operation was conducted under the order of the Chechen President, Ramzan Kadyrov, and very few people knew about it. The Russian Interior Ministry told Itar-Tass that the operation was conducted based on information available to the FSB about the gunmen ringleaders whereabouts. He offered fierce resistance when an attempt to detain him was made and was killed by retaliatory fire. A whole arsenal of automatic weapons was found at his place, the ministry noted. Besides, another gunman was liquidated in the Grozny district of Chechnya in the 60 Let Oktyabrya settlement. He exploded himself by a grenade when police made an attempt to detain him. His identity is currently being verified. It is not ruled out that he might be linked with Elmurzayev. Posted by: Fred 2007-04-05 |
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