Chechen power agents have no information about Umarov's death

Power agencies of Chechnya have no data that Dokku Umarov, leader of the militants in Northern Caucasus, was assassinated, although in the end of last week some media spread information that Umarov could have been killed back on March 10.

"Unfortunately, the data about Dokku Umarov's death, most likely, are premature. So far, we have no confirmations to this end. We can state one thing only with full confidence: Umarov and all other bandit bosses sooner or later will see their only end - prison or death. It is non-alternative," an officer from the Chechen militia told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to his story, searches of Umarov and other leading militants' field commanders never stop in Chechnya "day and night". "Since January 19, large-scale actions are being held in the mountain and foothill areas of the republic, aimed to find and liquidate Umarov and his retinue. Our best forces are involved in searching the bandit leader. A special operative group was set up for the purpose consisting of perfectly trained power agents," the militiaman said.

The source has noted that "law enforcers are literally 'on the heels' of Umarov and other bandits; they have to permanently move around the region in order not to be captured or liquidated."

Meanwhile, local observers believe that even if power agents manage to kill Dokku Umarov, it will in no case mean that militants will stop their armed resistance. "During these years, the armed resistance lost quite many well-known leaders and commanders, from Dudaev with Maskhadov, Basaev with Khattab, to less significant figures. Nevertheless, the guerrilla war continues, moreover, it has already spread over the whole of Northern Caucasus. Initially, the Kremlin had wrongly believed that should some militants' leader had been killed, the resistance would have automatically stopped. It was a blunder made both by Russian leaders and military command and special services," one of local experts is convinced.

In his opinion, the warfare in Northern Caucasus today is run under absolutely different slogans than in the course of the first military campaign in Chechnya.

"In guerrilla war, a much greater role belongs to medium-level commanders than major leaders; since the former are directly committing attacks and subversive-terrorist acts against militaries and local power agents. Besides, militants have replacements for the case of someone's death. For example, in case of Dokku Umarov's death, his place will be taken by Supyan Abdullaev. The latter also has a successor. Therefore, Ramzan Kadyrov's statements that liquidation of Umarov will mean the end of armed resistance look not quite realistic," said the source.

In his opinion, to destroy the armed resistance, "it's necessary to liquidate the social basis for replenishment of militants's groupings by recruits." For this purpose "first of all, new workplaces should be created in the region."