Al-Qaida envoy killed by Russian security

MOSCOW - Russian security forces in Chechnya killed a Saudi militant who was the top envoy of al-Qaida in the Northern Caucasus and responsible for deadly attacks, the national anti-terror committee said on Friday.

The militant - known by the nom-de-guerre of Moganned - was one of three rebels killed in a clash with Russian security forces near the village of Serzhen-Yurt in Chechnya on Thursday afternoon, it said.

"One of the eliminated bandits has been identified as the main emissary of the international terrorist organization al-Qaida in the Northern Caucasus - a citizen of Saudi Arabia by the name of Moganned," the committee said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies.