The March 8 death of Aslan Maskhadov , the top Chechen rebel leader, dealt a heavy but not mortal blow to the Chechen militancy fighting Russia. Abdul Khalim Sadulayev, a Wahhabist ideologue and commander close to foreign Islamist commanders, has succeeded Maskhadov as leader. Having a Wahhabist ideologue as its top leader, the Chechen militancy largely will transform into a militant Islamist group. As it becomes more dependent on foreign Wahhabist sponsors, more foreign Islamist commanders will probably take leadership positions. This change will come with a high price — an internal power struggle between field commanders and the likely loss of local support. Chechen militants, finding themselves isolated within Chechnya but with a steady cash flow from abroad, will begin to resort to terrorist tactics more often than traditional guerrilla warfare. A former Soviet philology student, Sadulayev fought in the first Chechen war (1994-1996).