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A legacy of terror

MOSCOW: Shamil Basayev, Chechnya's most feared warlord, terrorised Russia with cunning and savage attacks that observed no limits — targeting hospitals, a theatre and, in his most infamous plot, children in the Beslan school atrocity.

Basayev — the mastermind of the 2004 Beslan seizure that left more than 300 persons dead — had eluded Russian forces for years.

Basayev's decade-long record of killing civilians and soldiers reflected fanatical determination — a ferocity Russia long claimed was bolstered by help from terror networks such as Al-Qaeda. Basayev led a raid on a hospital in June 1995 on the town of Budyonnovsk, in a region bordering Chechnya. The Russians stormed the hospital, but their bumbling more than 100 civilians, police and soldiers were killed in gun battles.

Twin plane bombings in late August 2004 killed 90 persons on board, and an attack near a Moscow subway station killed nine. Basayev claimed responsibility. — AP

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