BASAYEV, SHAMIL SALMANOVICH

(1965–2006)

Guerilla commander andterrorist. Born in a village in southeasternChechnya, Basayev was named after the famed 19th-century military commander Imam Shamil. He was born to parents who, like all other contemporary Chechens, had been deported toCentral Asiaduring World War II; they returned to Chechnya in the late 1950s. After a stint in thearmyas a firefighter, he spent several years inMoscow, studying and working as a salesman.

In 1991, Basayev reportedly participated in demonstrations against the plotters of theAugust Coup. Later that year, he hijacked a TurkishboundAeroflotplane to publicize the situation in Chechnya, returning to his homeland after the event. From there, he became a full-time insurgent leader, participating in theGeorgian Civil Waron the side ofAbkhaziaas a prominent member of theConfederation of Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus. When the firstChechen Warbroke out, he quickly emerged as one of the country’s fiercest warlords, commanding significant numbers of fighters. In 1995, he led a raid on a hospital in Budyonnovsk,Stavropol Krai, that resulted in the deaths of 129 people. The Kremlin’s agreement to cease-fire talks in the negotiations was seen as turning point in the war over Chechnya.

Following the Russian withdrawal in 1996, Basayev stood for president of the self-declared republic, finishing second after the more moderateAslan Maskhadov.In the late 1990s, he gravitated toward radicalIslamismand joined forces with the Arab-CircassianterroristIbn al-Khattab. Hoping to create a caliphate across theNorth Caucasus, the two led a raid into neighboringDagestanin 1999, which along with a series ofapartment bombingsacross Russia, precipitated the second Chechen War. For the next five years, Basayev planned and directed a series of terrorist attacks that made him the most feared man in Russia. He claimed to be behind theNord-Ost theater siegein 2002 and the 2004 assassination ofAkhmad Kadyrov, the sitting president of Chechnya. He also took responsibility for the planning of theBeslan crisisin 2004 and a raid on Nalchik,Kabardino-Balkariya, in 2005.

Russian and Chechen authorities ultimately initiated a massive manhunt for Basayev. On 10 July 2006, he was killed inIngushetiya; Russian officials claimed his death was the result of anFSBspecial operation. His remains were positively identified by forensic experts in December 2009.

See alsoSoviet-afghan war.