Chechen warlord Basayev 'killed'

The most wanted Chechen rebel warlord, Shamil Basayev, has been killed, Russian media report.
Basayev was killed in a special operation overnight in Ingushetia, near Chechnya, Russia's FSB security service chief Nikolai Patrushev said.

President Vladimir Putin said Basayev's killing was "deserved retribution" for terror attacks, including the 2004 mass hostage-taking at a school in Beslan.

news.bbc.co.uk..." target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow">BBC

Interesting that all this has happened within hours.
Airbus With 200 People Crashes In Russia - Many Dead

From link,

Among those on board the plane was the head of the FSB security service for the Irkutsk region, General Sergei Koryakov

I think there is more to this. Did General Sergei Koryakov tell the FSB in Moscow the location of Shamil Basayev and then he was "silenced" for security reasons?

sanc

Edit: I'm having trouble finding a link that confirms he died in the crash.

[edit on 10-7-2006 by sanctum]

[edit on 10-7-2006 by sanctum]

All this means is that Putin has seized enough dictatorial power and doesn't need Basayev anymore. Like our own Osama, Shamil Basayev played the role of the bogeyman providing cover for Russia's own unpopular mid-east misadventure.

Attacking a school full of kids? Come on! How is that supposed to help the Chechyan separartist cause? Makes about as much sense as Al-Queda benefitting by 911. Maybe his true transgression was trying to blackmail Putin:


From an old news release:
"Shamil Basayev, Russia’s most wanted man, issued the statement on separatist website www.kavkazcenter.com
Basayev, who last week was appointed deputy leader of Chechnya’s separatists, said his fighters had plenty of information to share. “We have a lot to tell but we have been waiting for the Russians to finish their ’investigation’. They are dragging out this process because they have nothing to tell people,” he said.

“Today we are ready for an open international inquiry to the Beslan events. We have a living participant in the operation who is prepared to give evidence.” "


Perhaps he had info on the following:

www.msnbc.msn.com...
"Dudiyeva(Beslan Mothers Committee) said the committee had uncovered important details about the hostage-taking, such as that the truck carrying the militants to the school had a police officer as an escort and that weapons had been stored in the school ahead of time..."


But the operation seems to have worked its magic on the masses:

"There is no God. There is only military force. I believe in Russia and in our armed forces. That's what I believed in during the terrorist attack."
"If I were president, I would order them to send unarmed terrorists to me and I would, with my bare hands, using a knife, slit their throats."

'Chermen', age 7, a survivor of the 2004 attack.



----------------------


"You've got to be able to move quickly if you're running from Feds or special ops."
--Jeff Weise, alleged Red Lake, MN school shooter