MOSCOW (Islamweb & Agences) - Chechen Resistance shot dead a pro-Moscow official in the breakaway region and made clear the killing was revenge for a Resistance commander killed by government troops last month, Russian news agencies reported on Saturday.
Despite Russia's claims to have largely won its latest 21-month battle against separatists, Kremlin-aligned officials in Chechnya have been singled out for attack and several have resigned in fear of their lives. Local leaders have been given bodyguards and even their own pistols for protection. (Read photo caption).
Despite these measures, Resistance men shot dead overnight Ramzan Gatsayev, head of Alkhan Yurt village, Russian agencies quoted Chechen officials as saying.
Beside his body was a note saying ``For Barayev.'' Russia said its troops killed Resistance commander Arbi Barayev in a massive search and destroy operation at the end of June.
It was one of precious few victories for Moscow since President Vladimir Putin handed control of Chechen operations earlier this year to the FSB domestic security service, with a brief to hunt down and kill Resistance leaders.
Russia has had nominal control over Chechen territory once held by Chechen nationalists since March of last year, but Resistance raids and bomb attacks continue to pick off Moscow's men daily.
PHOTO CAPTION:
Chechen men pray in the centre of the capital Grozny, July 2, 2001. The presidents of Russia and France said after Kremlin talks on Monday that they had common positions on most issues, but differed openly on the future of Yugoslavia and separatist Chechnya. REUTERS/Adlan Khasanov