Chechen law-enforcement agencies look for evidence of Abu al-Walid's death

Law-enforcement agencies of the Chechen Republic have no information unambiguously confirming the death of the notorious separatist commander Saudi Abu al-Walid, a source at the Chechen interior ministry told the Caucasian Knot correspondent on April 22. Information about the death of al-Walid in Chechen mountains appeared in the Arab press on April 16. "There must be evidence of eye-witnesses and other facts confirming this information but not only reports by [the rebel website] Kavkaz Center and Arab TV channels. It may be just another canard started by Abu al-Walid himself, who is internationally wanted." said the source.

The officer of the Chechen interior ministry believes the republican law-enforcement agencies will need some time to obtain more specific information on the alleged death of Abu al-Walid. "Foreign mercenaries usually capture their dead friends and their funerals by video cameras and then try to hand the records over to relatives. This was the case with Khattab. I'm sure if Abu al-Walid was really killed, they have captured him too. This video tape will reveal itself somewhere sooner of later. It would be ideal to find the terrorist's grave, to exhume his body, and to establish the fact of his death exactly," the officer said.

Editors note: See also the articles "Leader of Arab mercenaries in Chechnya reportedly destroyed", "Kavkaz Center: Abu al-Walid killed in air bomb explosion".