Chechen Warlord Issues Warning to Russia

[Bossy Monkey]

Oct 31, 9:10 PM EST

Chechen Warlord Issues Warning to Russia

By MARA D. BELLABY
Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW (AP) -- Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, who claimed responsibility for last month's Beslan school hostage-taking, warned Sunday that he was ready to fight Russia for a decade and insisted civilians remained a fair target.

But Basayev also said the rebels would observe "international law" if Russia also made such a commitment. The Chechens have accused the Russians of human rights violations and war crimes.

"If (President Vladimir) Putin doesn't want peace, we'll wait until he leaves or if we can we'll send him directly to hell," Basayev said in an interview published on Chechenpress.com, a Chechen Web site. "Five years of war have gone quickly, another five or ten years will go just as fast."

Basayev has claimed responsibility for some of the most audacious terror attacks inside Russia, including the Sept. 1-3 hostage-taking in North Ossetia which left more than 330 people dead, half of them children. The Federal Security Service has offered a reward of $10.3 million for information that could help "neutralize" him.

(more)
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RUSSIA_CHECHNYA?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Color me cynical, but who else expects the cable news outlets to play this up big tomorrow plus reruns of footage of the school takeover/ hostage killings?