Moscow - The Kremlin said yesterday that President Vladimir Putin had named Chechnya's chief Muslim cleric, Mufti Akhmed Kadyrov, to be the first Moscow-appointed Chechen leader since 1996, after Russian troops left the province in defeat.
Mufti Kadyrov fought against Russian forces in the 1994-96 Chechen war, but he played a role in talks on the ground last year to allow Russian troops to enter Chechen towns without a fight.
