Kremlin’s man in Chechnya

Born in 1954 in Central Asia, Kadyrov studied at a series of Islamic colleges and became Mufti, or religious leader of Chechnya in 1996, two years after Russia sent in troops to snuff out Chechnya’s independence struggle. That year, he became a negotiator on the Chechen side in peace talks that ended the war. Chechnya gained a three-year period of de facto independence, but Kadyrov turned against his comrades, as he disagreed with their adoption of militant Islam. ‘‘(Russia) gave us everything that is Chechnya, (saying) do with it what you will, but we did not use it properly,’’ he had said when asked why he changed sides.

Rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov subsequently called for his assassination. Kadyrov claimed to have contacts with a few Chechen rebel warlords, but refused to negotiate peace terms with Maskhadov whom he called a terrorist. ‘‘There can be talks with Maskhadov, with only one purpose — that he leaves the republic,’’ Kadyrov had said. ‘‘If he wants to do something for his people, he should sacrifice himself.’’