A Muslim cleric was gunned down in Chechnya on Friday, hours after urging peace, and two Chechen police officers working for Russian authorities were found beheaded.
The police officers were found Thursday along with the bodies of two civilians who had been shot to death near the town of Argun, 9 miles east of the Chechen capital, Grozny, officials said.
Umar Idrisov, an imam or Muslim leader, was shot and killed by attackers who burst into his home in Urus-Martan in southwestern Chechnya.
Local officials said that Idrisov was an opponent of the Islamic fundamentalists who make up a significant part of the rebel forces, and that he had just given a sermon calling for peace.
“He was a pure man with pure thoughts,” said Shirvani Yasayev, head of the Urus-Martan administration. “It’s a pity we failed to protect him.”
The killing was more evidence of Chechen rebels’ determination to punish Chechens they view as traitors.
Russian forces took control of most of the rebellious region in a military operation that began in September. But Russian officials have struggled to create a pro-Moscow Chechen force, and independence fighters have sometimes targeted pro-Moscow Chechens as well as Russian soldiers and officials.
