08:48, 22 January 2021

"Kommersant" presents details of CTO in Katar-Yurt

Hiding place of Aslan Byutukaev near Katyr-Yurt. Photo: NAC website, http://nac.gov.ru/kontrterroristicheskie-operacii/v-chechne-neytralizovan-bandglavar-byutukaev.html#&gid=1&pid=4

While watching his ancestral village of Katar-Yurt, Chechen law enforcers found Aslan Byutukaev's secret hiding place, says the publication by the "Kommersant". Law enforcement sources said that the militants had tried to break out of the encirclement.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on January 20, Ramzan Kadyrov announced liquidation of a grouping of militants headed by Aslan Byutukaev in Katar-Yurt. The Russian National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) reported that five militants were killed in the counterterrorist operation (CTO).

The shootout took place in the floodplain of the Netkhoi River – about two kilometres from Katar-Yurt in the Achkhoi-Martan District of Chechnya. Law enforcers had long monitored this Katyr-Yurt, since it's Aslan Byutukaev's ancestral village; and he could rely on the help of his fellow villagers or relatives, says the material by Nikolai Krasnov and Nikolai Sergeev "Rest with Amir", published by "Kommersant" on January 21.

According to a law enforcement source, they caught Byutukaev's trail after the murder of Kazbek Baidulaev committed in the outskirt of Katar-Yurt. He was wearing a suicide belt and a backpack with foodstuffs. Law enforcers concluded that Baidulaev was carrying these foodstuffs to some militants' base.

During another raid, law enforcers found traces leading to the dugout. When they tried to block the place, grenades flew at them. The people who were in the dugout tried to break out of the encirclement by sheltering each other with submachine gun fire.

Five of them were killed by return fire; and the sixth one committed a self-detonation, the publication says, citing a law enforcement source.

In total, during the counterterrorist operations (CTOs) against Byutukaev's grouping, 16 people were killed, including militants who had come from Ukraine, the Russian National Antiterrorist Committee (NAC) has reported.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on January 21, 2021 at 09:12 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.