Sunday, May 09, 2004

Bomb blast in Chechnya kills president

A blast in the Russian republic of Chechnya killed President Akhmad Kadyrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised comments at a meeting with Kadyrov's son, Ramzan Kadyrov.

The blast killed four and wounded 42 others, said an official at the Emergency Situations Ministry who asked not to be named. The blast occurred at about 10:30 a.m. local time in a stadium in Grozny during Victory Day holiday celebrations marking the defeat of the Nazis in World War II, the official said.

Kadyrov, 52, a former Muslim cleric, was a rebel leader fighting against Russian forces during the first Chechen war in 1994. He later switched sides to support Russia and was elected president on Oct. 5, 2003. The attack may undermine Putin's attempts to show that the war in Chechnya is over.
  Bloomberg article

I wouldn't be surprised if that precipitates another violent uprising. I'm not too keen on what's happening in that part of the world, but I do know that Chechen "rebels" have been blamed for a number of "terrorist" incidents in the past few years.

This attack has been attributed to Shamil Basayev - designated a terrorist and national security threat (to the U.S.?!) by Colin Powell, but who probably looks like a hero to his countrymen - who has allegedly been involved in other attacks in Moscow.

Update: That was the 7:41 version of Bloomberg's report, and the following is from the 5:50 version:

Confusion surrounds the fate of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov after Interfax news agency had reported him killed in the explosion along with General Valery Baranov, the top Russian commander in Chechnya, Sky said.

Interfax is now citing "an official source" as saying General Baranov is undergoing surgery for serious injuries, while the Itar-Tass agency is saying the president received only light injuries, Sky reported.
  Bloomberg article

Pick one. I assume the 7:41 version verified the death, but who knows?

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