Alleged Chechen rebels liquidated in Dagestan were medrese students

The two residents of the Nozhai-Yurt District of Chechnya, assassinated on October 20 in a special operation of power agencies in the Kizilyurt District of Dagestan, were medrese students, listed as missing since October 8 this year.

"Yunus Yasaev, 16, and Ayub Dudaev, 20, natives of Benoi village, Nozhai-Yurt District, killed during a special operation in Bavtugai village, Kizilyurt District of Dagestan, were second cousins to each other and were trained in the medrese in Khasavyurt. Father of one of the guys has stated earlier that in early October they were abducted by some unknown persons and taken away in an UAZ van. This case was under attention of Chechen MP Magomed Khambiev, because allegedly the missing young men were his fellow villagers and their relatives had asked him to help to find the 'disappearances'," said a source from the local power agencies.

According to his story, armed Yasaev and Dudaev were found by Dagestani militiamen in the area of Bavtugai village, rendered armed resistance and barricaded in a private house. "The place was surrounded by militiamen of the Nozhai-Yurt ROVD (District Interior Division), fighters from 'Terek' OMON (special militia) unit and special fighters of the 'Yug' (South) of Interior Troops of Russian MIA. Deputy Khambiev was with them. He repeatedly called Yasaev and Dudaev to lay down arms and surrender, but they would not listen. Therefore, an assault was launched, and the bandits were killed," said the source.

The source of the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has also noted that the conducted check established that Yasaev and Dudaev had been recruited by militants in Dagestan, but not in the medrese of Khasav-Yurt, where they were students. "According to operative data, just a few weeks before their disappearance Yasaev and Dudayev had been in touch with one of the leaders of Dagestani underground. It was also established that after the family had announced them as kidnapped, they telephoned them and asked not to call them any more. However, their parents preferred not to disclose this fact," the source stressed.

However, an activist of a local human rights organization has treated the story of disappearance and subsequent death of the young men from Benoi as "strange". "I have serious doubts regarding this case. We've already seen cases, when kidnapped young men were later found killed in another special operation and skirmish with militants, although there were no grounds to speak that they had been members of the armed underground," he said.