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Death of bin Laden is a 'Basayev moment'

FBI Wanted Poster Graphic With Osama Bin Laden Photo and Information and Addition of Word 'Deceased'Russia has joined the international back-slapping over the death of Osama bin Laden ­ but not everybody is convinced the world's number one bogeyman has met his end.

While officials from the Kremlin and the foreign ministry applauded the news, some newspapers took a more sceptical line.

Like killing Dasayev

Both the foreign ministry and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov evoked the spirit of Shamil Basayev, an insurgent in the Caucasus who was killed by Russian special forces in 2006.

A spokesman for the ministry said: "I would like to emphasise that this is a natural result: Bin Laden, Basayev and others like them sooner or later catch up with what they have done."

And the statement added that bin Laden's death was "a landmark moment in the fight against international terrorism."

Kadyrov said it was "a good result", but warned against dividing terrorists into "bad and not very bad".

He went on to make an oblique reference to Akhmed Zakayev, wanted for his role as a separatist leader and now living in London.

Russia's presidential press service also issued a statement. "Russia is one of the first countries faced with the dangers of global terrorism, and unfortunately we are no stranger to al-Qaeda."

The Kremlin also highlighted the need for global anti-terror cooperation.

Why bin Laden lives

Despite the upbeat official response, Moskovsky Komsomolets warned that the death of the al-Qaeda leader did not mean an end to global terrorism.

In a front-page editorial the newspaper warned that the al-Qaeda chief would be replaced and that, until a more compelling alternative could be offered to the angry youth of the Arab world, support for anti-Western terrorism would remain.

"The fact is that bin Laden-ism will live and thrive until a certain anti-bin Laden spiritual leader can offer a less bloody response," the editorial concluded.

"If such a person has appeared in the Islamic world his name is still unknown. So, until then, Osama bin Laden is more alive than dead."


Keyword Tags:

Russia, Terrorism, Osama Bin-Laden, al-Qaeda - Chechnya, North Caucasus - Russia News - Russia - Russia - Johnson's Russia List

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