Another brutal crime committed by Chechen militants

Militants from Khamzit Tazabayev's gang wore Russian military uniform when they killed two Chechens in Grozny, reported a source in the Regional Operational Headquarters responsible for co-ordinating the counter-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus.

In the middle of the night, a group of about 10 militants broke into the house the Makayev family owned in Grozny's Zavodskoi district. Zaindi Makayev, the head of the family, and his son Umar resisted fiercely, killing one of the terrorists in the process. The odds were not in their favour however, and they were both killed by the militants. The attackers left some weapons and ammunition on the spot to throw suspicion on the family.

"The Makayevs supported the political changes taking place in the republic," the source explained.

Khamzit Tazabayev is known as a helpmate of the Chechen separatist leader Shamil Basayev. He has lately been engineering terrorist acts on the order of ex-Chechen President Maskhadov.