Brother of Chechen rebel leader surrenders
The younger brother of Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov has turned himself in, a government spokesman said today, denying an earlier claim that Umarov himself had surrendered.
The Chechen spokesman said the younger Umarov turned himself in at the residence of Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov in Gudermes, Chechnya’s second-largest city.
Earlier he had claimed Doku Umarov was the one who had surrendered. The Interfax news agency quoted the spokesman as saying the brother was Umarov’s “key assistant and closest associate.”
NTV reported the brother served as Umarov’s chief bodyguard.
However, the Kavkazcentre website, a mouthpiece for the rebels, claimed that Doku Umarov does not have a younger brother. Umarov took over the leadership of the rebel movement in June, following the killing by Russian forces of Abdul-Khalim Sadulayev.
Umarov’s importance to the rebel movement further increased in July after warlord Shamil Basayev, the most feared of the rebels, was killed. Russia last month announced an amnesty for all fighters who turned themselves in.
