Russia’s most-wanted Chechen terrorist Shamil Basayev was killed by Russian forces in Thursday’s firefight in the Kabardino-Balkarian capital Nalchik, a source in the local branch of the FSB (the Federal Security Service) told the Chechen Society newspaper. Officials are remaining silent until a full identification procedure has been completed. According to the source, the raid on Nalchik that resulted in the deaths of 60 people began in the early hours of Thursday. Rebels were reportedly trying to seize the local airport to hijack a military plane. The source believes the rebels intended to fit it out with explosives and fly it to Moscow. The plane would have stood more chance of passing military identification systems, as it is equipped with a friend-or-foe identification system, the source explained.Sounds pretty far-fetched to me. They weren't trying to sieze the airport, they were attacking government buildings.
But the seizure of the airport failed and the group of rebels led by Basayev was surrounded. To divert the attention of the Russian military, another group of rebels launched attacks on government buildings and Russian army units, but Basayev and his comrades were nevertheless killed, the source said.
Sounds like typical Russian wishful thinking.
The General Staff says, however, it does not have information about involvement of Basayev in the raid.
Haven't they killed this guy 3 or 4 times by now?