Tbilisi tenants of the house damaged in special operation fail to identify Chataev by photo

Residents of the house, which became a focus of a special operation, did not recognize the photo of Akhmed Chataev, a recruiter of the IS*, whose death in the Georgian capital on November 23 was confirmed by the second source in two days.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the special operation in Gabriel Salos Street in the Isan District in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, began in the evening on November 21 and was over in the following evening. In the course thereof, a special troop's fighter perished; and three suspected terrorists were killed, and another one detained, the Georgian State Security Service (SSS) has reported. According to the republic's Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), four special troop's fighters were also wounded.

On November 23, with reference to a source close to the Akhmed Chataev's family members, the edition "Kavkaz.Realii" confirmed the death in Tbilisi of Akhmed Chataev, a combatant of the Second Chechen War. Earlier, David Makishvili, a colleague of Mikhail Saakashvili, the former Georgian President, also announced the information about the death of the man involved in a battle which took place in the Lopota Gorge in 2012.

However, Umar Idigov, the chairman of the "Caucasus Integration Foundation", denies the Akhmed Chataev's death in a blocked house. "It cannot be true. Akhmed Chataev had only one foot and one arm, and people would instantly notice him," Umar Idigov told the "Caucasian Knot".

Zviad, a tenant of the house No. 46 in Gabriel Salos Street, where the special operation was carried out, carefully examined the Akhmed Chataev's photo, shown to him by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, but said he did not remember noticing a similar person.

Konstantin, a tenant of the house section, where the suspected militants had rented an apartment, also did not recognize Akhmed Chataev by the photo.

"Those people came by a car, but I did not pay attention to them. Chechen families live in our house, and they are ordinary people," Konstantin told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

*"Islamic State" (IS, earlier, ISIL) is recognized as a terrorist organization and is banned in Russia by court's decision.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.