| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Basayev aide killed near Grozny |
| 2005-04-10 |
| Russian federal forces killed a wanted associate of Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev near Grozny during an operation Friday as the republic intensified its crackdown on rebels. "Russian federal forces have killed a guerilla who planned terrorist attacks against five heads of Chechen district administrations," the spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus, Major General Ilya Shabalkin, was quoted by Interfax as saying. Adam Tepsukayev, 27, a native of Argun city, who was on the government's wanted list, traded fire with the federal forces before he was shot dead during the operation, Shabalkin said. Tepsukayev had been operating under Arab mercenary Abu al-Valid since 2002 but after al-Valid's death he became an aide to Basayev and led an armed gang which was blamed for a series of terrorist attacks against civilians and police in Argun, according to officers of the regional headquarters for the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, the Itar-Tass reported. Tepsukayev participated in an armed attack on the administration building of the Oktyabrsky district of Grozny on Aug. 21 last year, which killed a dozen civilians and police, the officers said. Tepsukayev was also said to have participated in several killings of officers of the Chechen Interior Ministry. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |