| Chechen rebel warlord Shamil Basayev has denied that his fighters are involved in operations outside Russia, in an interview aired on Saturday on Al Jazeera television. âThere are rumours spread by Russia implicating the mujahedeen in acts of violence recently carried out in France, Turkey and Spain. These are lies propagated by Moscow,â he told the Doha-based satellite channel. âWe donât plan any operation outside Russia, despite our capacity to. Our Chechen people continue Jihad on Russian territory.â He also accused Moscow of âseeking to tarnish the image of the honourable struggle of the Chechen people in propagating such lies. We are not even targeting Russian officials while they are outside ... However, members of the Russian intelligence services have perpetrated an attack in Qatar, killing our former president Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev,â in a car bombing on February 13. âThis attack proves it is the real terrorism,â said Basayev, reiterating that Chechen separatists were ânot linked to violent acts recently carried out in Turkey. On the contrary, we thank the Turkish people for their aid and treatment for (our) children, the wounded and Chechen refugees.â |