The Chechen government said Friday that Doku Umarov, leader of Chechnya's separatist rebels, has surrendered. Umarov took over the leadership of the rebel movement in June following the killing by Russian forces of Abdul-Khalim Sadulayev. Umarov's importance to the rebel movement further increased in July after warlord Shamil Basayev, the most feared of the rebels, was killed. Umarov turned himself in at the residence of Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov in Gudermes, Chechnya's second-largest city, said Chechen government spokesman Lyoma Gudayev. Further details, including the terms of the surrender were not immediately available. But Russia last month announced an amnesty for all fighters who turned themselves in.
Chechnya Retracts Claim on Surrender
| “...it was Umarov's younger brother who turned himself in...” |