Lecha Kadyrov, a 28-year-old nephew of Chechen administration head Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov, and three of his friends were killed on 10 September when unknown assailants opened fire on his car with a grenade launcher and flamethrower, Russian agencies reported. Several other close relatives of Kadyrov have been killed since his appointment in June 2000; another nephew died earlier this summer fighting on the side of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. (RFE/RL)