Chechen Leader Aslan Maskhadov Killed

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Chechen Leader Aslan Maskhadov Killed

James Joyner | Tuesday, March 8, 2005

Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov — who had a $10 million bounty on his head — has been killed by Russian troops, according to Russian news agencies. Russian NTV television showed Federal Security Service head Nikolai Patrushev telling President Vladimir Putin that Maskhadov had been killed in a “special operation” in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt.

CNN’s Jill Dougherty said that Russian NTV television had shown pictures of a shirtless bearded corpse that resembled Maskhadov. She said he had been hiding in a bunker when he died, according to Russian news agency reports. Russian troops had wanted to take him alive, she said, but according to reports in Moscow the weapons of his bodyguards “were either misused or something went awry.”

I’m sure they’re all choked up. Maskhadov was an interesting figure, who missed the opportunity to do more to curtail the terrorist impulses of those on his side.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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