A large group of rebels numbering "several hundred" was destroyed at the Alkhan-Kala village near the Chechen capital of Grozny during a carefully planned operation by federal troops, announced the Russian command in Chechnya Thursday.

Commander of the Western Grouping of the Russian Combined Forces in North Caucasus General Vladimir Shamanov described this triumph as "a little fragment of a huge operation coded "the Wolf Hunt."

In an interview with the Russian ORT television station Thursday evening, Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said that over 1,500 Chechen militants were killed in all during the well worked-out operation.

In an interview with the Russian NTV television station Thursday evening, Shamanov reported some details of the accomplished operation.

According to the general, "the essence of this plan" was "to create (among the rebels) the illusion of a corridor from Grozny,"by which "the groups of Arbi Barayev (rebels' field commander) were infiltrated."

"In agreement with the Federal Security Service and other structures, an officer was assigned to get in touch with the militants and promise the corridor for a lump sum of around 100,000 dollars," he said.

"Frankly, we did not expect bandits to swallow the bait, least of all did we expect them to be in such a quantity," he admitted.

The federal command also confirmed the deaths of several prominent Chechen field commanders, including Lecha Dudayev, Khunkarpasha Israpilov, Turpal Atgeriyev and Aslambek Ismailov.

In a Thursday interview with ORT television, spokesman for the federal headquarters in the North Caucasus Alexander Veklich said that Shamil Basayev had lost a leg and been operated on by a former Chechen health minister.

He denied reports of rebels breaking out of Grozny for Khankala, saying federal troops conducted a planned operation there Wednesday to lure the separatists out of the city so as to

minimize federal losses.