PEACE HELL

Chechen separatist leader killed

Russian authorities say they have killed one of the most prominent leaders of Chechnya's separatist forces, Aslan Maskhadov, who has led a rebel group since he was ousted from the republic's presidency in the late 1990s.
Considered a terrorist by the Russian authorities, Maskhadov was regarded by Western analysts and Russian liberals as a moderate who had recently called a cease-fire in the troubled republic.
Russian authorities had also accused him of helping mastermind last year's school siege in Beslan and the hostage-taking at a Moscow theatre more than two years ago.
The Chechen rebel had always denied any involvement in those incidents, condemning attacks against civilians.

Russian officers helped terrorists seize Beslan school: commission

The Russian parliamentary commission investigating the Beslan school siege has passed over to law enforcement agencies evidence on two more officials suspected of helping the militants seize the school in early September 2004, the commission head was quoted as saying by Interfax on Thursday.
“A terrorist act on such a scale would have been impossible to commit without accomplices,” said Alexander Torshin, chairman of the commission and a deputy speaker of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian parliament.
While the accomplices identified so far have been local civilians, Mr Torshin said the duo being sought both held a military rank “higher than a major and a colonel”.

Prominent journalist reportedly poisoned on way to school siege

Politkovskaya rose to prominence as an outspoken liberal reporter and observer. She traveled extensively across Chechnya and is the author of several books about the war-torn province.
Another journalist, Radio Liberty’s Andrei Babitsky, also failed to complete a journey to the scene of the hostage crisis on Thursday. He was detained in Moscow’s Vnukovo airport for apparently being involved in a fight. The journalist claimed he was accused of carrying explosives.