Chechen Rebels Update

Posted on: June 19, 2006 | Views: 53 | Comment

This separatist cleric in Chechnya was sold out for a gram of heroin to a junkie by pro-Moscow Chechen forces as part of special operation.

The hunt for Abdul-Khalim Saidulayev, an Argun mullah, was part of a wider search for rebel leaders currently under way across the region. Saidulayev was named rebel leader in March 2005, replacing the charismatic Aslan Maskhadov when he was killed by Russian troops. Most analysts believe Saidulayev was a figurehead, installed as a compromise between two leading separatist warlords, Shamil Basayev and Doku Umarov.

Provided by Reuters.com.