Chechen president Aslan Maskhadov killed by Russia’s special forces

Russia, US encourage gambling on finding presidents-“terrorists”

Russia paid $10 million reward to find Maskhadov, moderate president of Chechnya, who was killed last week. The killing of Maskhadov ended the hopes for peace in Chechnya, as Maskhadov was a moderate leader and with his legitimacy as Chechnya ‘s elected president could have formed the Chechen side on peace negotiations with Moscow. The United States authorities paid $30 million for information about location of Saddam Hussein's two sons, Qusai and Odai, who were killed in July 22.

Russia's security service announced it had paid a $10 million reward for the information that had helped to trace and kill Aslan Maskhadov, Chechen president since 1997. The announcement was made with the aim to give credibility to its renewed offer of an identical reward for the Kremlin's number one enemy Shamil Basayev.

Earlier The United States authorities paid $30 million for information about location of Saddam Hussein's two sons, Qusai and Odai, who were killed July 22, 2003. US officials concluded it was the highest prize paid under the State Department's Rewards for Justice program.

Maskhadov was killed in the Chechen village of Tolstoy Yurt, north of Grozny, the Chechen capital, during the special operation of the security forces. The announcement to pay $10 bounty for information leading to the killing or capture of him or Basayev, who took over responsibility for attacks including the deadly raid on a school in the town of Beslan was made in September.

Maskhadov was killed in an armoured basement bunker, Russian authoritues say. A woman who lived in the house with her family said he was not there at the moment of operation and suspected Russian forces may have brought his body there before announcing his death.

Chechnya’s first president General Dudayev was killed by a Russian rocket in 1996 due to information received from a U.S intelligence satellite and shared with the Russian military by the US.

In the meanwhile, Russian special forces have launched a large-scaled operation in Grozny to capture warlords who have threatened to carry out terrorist attacks in the wake of killing of rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov by Federal Security troops, last week.

‘‘Chechnya’s secret services have received information from militants detained earlier that extremist warlords Shamil Basayev and Saudi Arabia citizen Abdul Khalid Sadulayev, the successor to Aslan Maskhadov, plan to stage a series of major terrorist acts in Grozny,’’ a spokesman for the regional headquarters for counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus, said.

Basayev and Saidulayev have ordered militants to carry out attacks in the near future as they fear being left without backing from foreign extremist organisations, he said. The FSB has announced another $10 million reward for information to capture Basayev.