Chechen prosecutor wants hard evidence of al-Walid's killing

The office of the Chechen prosecutor has not confirmed that Abu al-Walid, an Arab mercenary, has been eliminated in Chechnya.

"A conclusion cannot be drawn until his body is found and identified," a spokesman for the prosecutor's office announced on Monday, April 19.

With the earlier elimination of another Arab mercenary, Khattab, al-Walid is now considered a key rebel figure. Al Arabiya TV channel reported al-Walid's death on Sunday quoting unspecified sources.

Commenting on Chechen president Akhmad Kadyrov's assumption that al-Walid's body might be discovered among the rebels killed in a special operation in the area near Tazen-Kale and Ersenoy in Chechnya, the spokesman said, "These bodies have not been brought for identification yet. Besides, we have learned from practice that the very procedure of identifying a foreign national can take a long time."

As an example, he gave "Khattab's case, which still hasn't been closed."

"Even though video footage showing him dead has been shown, the body has not been examined and the fact of his death has not been legally established," he said.

The source said that "reports about the death of one rebel leader or another may be part of attempts to clear that person of responsibility in the hope that efforts to find him will be stopped."

Editors note: See also the article "Leader of Arab mercenaries in Chechnya reportedly destroyed".