Azerbaijan air force chief shot dead

General-Lieutenant Rail Rzayev was the most senior official to have been killed in ex-Soviet Azerbaijan, a country where Russia and the United States vie for influence, since the 1990s.

It was not immediately clear whether the motives for the killing were political.

"At approximately 8am. (0400 GMT) at the entrance to his home the head of the air force and missile defence system was shot in the head and later died of his wounds in hospital," a source in the Interior Ministry said.

Nijmedin Sadykhov, head of the Azeri military general staff, told Azerbaijan's private Lider television security cameras in the vicinity might help in the investigation. He said he had no information on what the motive for the killing could have been.

"There was a single shot. According to preliminary information, Rzayev's car had been under surveillance for several days," he said.

Azerbaijan has been ruled since 2003 by Ilham Aliyev, accused by some in the West of concentrating too much power in his hands. The country faces a referendum in March on the scrapping of a two-term limit on the presidency, that would allow him to remain in power after his term ends in 2013.

Azerbaijan has close ties to the United States. U S Air Force jets en route to Afghanistan refuel at Azerbaijan's main airport and a 90-strong Azeri military contingent has been serving in Afghanistan with NATO-led forces.
Telegraph

You think this is connected to the base closing, strange timing if not. Now the question is do you think we killed him, or the Russians? It's sorta reminiscent of that Russian journo killing last month.