Fate of Chechen resident who disappeared in Ingushetia still unknown

Mair-Ali Vakhaev, a resident of the Achkhoy-Martan District of Chechnya who disappeared on February 11 in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia, is still undetected. The law enforcement bodies of the Chechen Republic now nothing about his fate. A source from there does not exclude that Vakhaev could be killed by militaries, and his body hidden.

Let us remind you that on February 11, when federal troops conducted a special operation against a group of militants, detected in a forest near Arshty village, Sunzha District of Ingushetia, residents of the Chechen Republic, who were gathering ramson - traditional occupation for this time of year, were shot dead. According to the official data, four residents of the Achkhoy-Martan District were killed: Movsar Tataev, Ramzan Susaev, Shamil Kataev and Movsar Dakhaev. Bodies of two of them had traces of tortures received when they were alive.

Another resident of Achkhoy-Martan managed to quit the CTO (counterterrorist operation) zone, despite his wound and frostbitten legs; however, his fellow villager Mair-Ali Vakhaev is still considered missing.

"I doubt that Mair-Ali Vakhaev is alive. Most likely, he was killed by militaries, and his body was hidden in order to prevent unwanted resonance. Even without that, the execution of the Chechen residents who gathered ramson received broad public reaction," a source in the Chechen militia told in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, no formal claims can be presented to the servicemen who conducted the special operation against militants in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia. "A CTO zone is under special rules than in usual life. Here, every person is perceived first of all as an enemy, and power agents acted on the basis of the principle to shoot at everything that moves," said the officer.

He noted that torture applied to the murdered residents of the Achkhoy-Martan District, certainly, cannot be excused, but "this is severe reality of war." "This is the main method to knock information out of prisoners used by both parties in conflict, as monstrous as it may sound. However, in this situation peaceful residents became victims of occasional circumstances. The guilt for their death is not only on militaries but also on local authorities who failed to warn the people that the area where they go will be under the CTO regime," said the source.

It should be noted that on February 12, when it became known that at least four casualties of the fight near Arshty were peaceful residents, the federal servicemen announced that the guilt was on militants who used civilians as "live shield" in an attempt to escape from entrapment. Then, information was also disseminated that over 70 persons were removed away from the operation zone, and Musa Dadaev, head of the Achkhoy-Martan District of Chechnya, stated that the residents of the district had been warned about the special operation. However local residents deny this information.

Even today they assert that the death roll of peaceful residents in the Sunzha District of Ingushetia was much higher. They say that at least 12-16 persons more fell victim of the militaries, residents of Kulary and Shalazhi villages, who also went to the vicinities of Arshty village to gather ramson.