Chechen Rebels Intensify Attacks to Counter Russian Mop-upsChechen rebels have toughened attacks against Russian federal units as Moscow's mop-up operations go on in various parts of the war-torn republic, the Russian military said Saturday.In the past 24 hours alone, federal block-posts have been fired upon and attacked for eight times and local self-government bodies five times. In addition, border guard units were fired on nine times and federal convoys four times, Interfax cited the headquarters of the Russian forces in the North Caucasus as saying. Fourteen explosive devices have been discovered and neutralized in Chechnya over the past 24 hours. Four wounded guerrillas were found and 29 peoples detained on suspicion of the involvement in unlawful armed formations in the course of repeated mopping-up operations, with 38 items of weapons, two remote-controlled land mines and two vehicles seized. Russian troops lost 13 servicemen with 18 wounded during a five- day fierce fighting near south Chechnya's village of Serzhen-Yurt, killing over 100 rebels of a 200-250-strong mercenary group and injuring scores of the others, Russian presidential aide Sergey Yastrzhembsky told reporters Saturday. "According to latest information, a rebel group consisting of about 50 people is trying to break through thick woods in the mountains to the village of Nozhai-Yurt. A chase is underway," he said. Another nine Russian soldiers in an armored vehicle were killed and seven others wounded by a mine explosion during a rebel ambush near the village of Avtury in the central Chechen district of Shali on Friday evening, when a federal motorized convoy was heading for the station base after the Serzhen-Yurt battle, said an Itar-Tass report. Col. Gen. Gennady Troshev, commander of Russia's combined force in Chechnya, told the press Saturday that now federal forces are conducting "several dozens of special operations" in the republic. "For instance, an operation on wiping out a rebel group and their ammunition and medicaments caches has been going on for the fourth day in the Vedeno district," the general said. Special operations are also being conducted near the populated areas of Benoi and Tsa-Vedeno, he said. He estimated the number of rebels opposing the federal force at 1,500 people, confirming that "the border of Chechnya with Georgia is completely blocked by our units" despite "no proven information on rebel reinforcements' attempts to break to Chechnya from the Georgian territory." The bandit formations in Chechnya do not possess heavy armored vehicles and large caliber artillery, Troshev said. "All what they had have been destroyed or seized. If they had artillery, they would raze (the key town of) Khankala to the ground," the general suggested. |
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