| Federals destroyed an armed gang, led by Abuvalid Astamirov, numbering 15, including the ringleader, in the Urus-Martan district. The gang, using forged documents of police, security officers of the Chechen president and servicemen of the United Army Group, was engaged in abducting people, Tass learnt on Tuesday from spokesman of the regional headquarters on the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus Ilya Shabalkin. Astamirov, a trigger-happy terrorist, was personally involved in 35 murders and committing several terrorist acts. According to Shabalkin, federal troops also wiped out the gang’s base, situated near the village of Tangi. They found, at the base, a list of 21 local residents whom bandits intended to kill. According to the spokesman, the list included staff members of local bodies of self-government, officers of police and other law enforcement bodies. |