MOSCOW, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- The body of the destroyed leader ofChechen separatists Aslan Maskhadov has been identified by a team of investigators from the Russian Prosecutor General's Office on Wednesday, the headquarters for the anti-terrorist operation in the North Caucasus was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as reporting.

    The forensic experts who arrived Tuesday at the Khankala main military base in Chechnya began the identification procedure on Wednesday morning.

    "There was no problem, and the legal formalities are expected to be finished later in the day," the headquarters said.

    Maskhadov's relatives from the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, where he was found hiding in a bunker, took part in the identification.

    Besides three of the closest accomplices of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov, including his nephew, also have officiallyidentified his body, the Interfax quoted Russian Deputy ProsecutorGeneral Nikolai Shepel as saying.

    Shepel noted the identification process will only be concluded after a complete medical examination, including DNA analysis.

    He indicated that the identification procedures will take abouttwo weeks. "Maskhadov, as an active member of an international terrorist network, will be buried in an unmarked grave, in accordance with the law on terrorism, and his relatives will not be notified," Shepel said.

    Aslan Maskhadov was killed by the federal troops in a special operation in the village of Tolstoy-Yurt, Chechnya, on Tuesday. His death follows the killings of the first Chechen president, Djokhar Dudayev, nine years ago and his successor Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev last year in Qatar -- both of which have been blamed on the Russians. Enditem