Russia Seals Off Chechnya as Rebels Threaten Bombings around the CountryRussian forces sealed off the Chechen republic Tuesday, a day after a series of bombings killed at least 44 soldiers, as rebels threatened to extend terrorist acts throughout the entire country.The Russian military completely cordoned off the separatist republic to begin a large-scale mopping up operation in an attempt to find accomplices to the suicide bombers that struck Sunday and Monday in four Chechen towns. Eighteen persons have already been arrested for involvement in the deadly operations, ITAR-TASS reported. Television channels cautioned locals that anyone found on the streets after the curfew, which began 9:00 p.m. Monday, would be shot without warning. Checkpoints around the republic were reinforced with extra men and weapons whilst interior ministry troops barricaded themselves in their temporary accommodation, the news agency said. Meanwhile, top Chechen spokesman Movladi Udugov threatened to extend the suicide bombings across the Russian Federation. "We have two battalions numbering some 500 suicide bombers who are fully prepared and awaiting orders to carry out operations within Chechnya and throughout the rest of Russia," he told AFP late Monday. Udugov named Chechen demands for stopping the bombings, saying Russia should hand over colonel Yuri Budanov, arrested in March for murdering a Chechen woman, and should release 450 women and children allegedly held in Russian jails. In a report shown early Tuesday on the private NTV channel, Malik Saidulayev, the head of the republic's Chechen Council, supported the new rebel suicide tactics. "This is war. These are not terrorists; these are people who are giving their lives to show that there is no peace in Chechnya," said Saidulayev. "Russia should hold talks with Chechen commanders. It is pointless talking to (Chechen President Aslan) Maskhadov. To the fighters, he is not president, he is just Maskhadov," said Saidulayev. The council's head blamed the latest upsurge in fighting on the appointment by Moscow of Muslim cleric Akhmad Kadyrov as chief administrator of Chechnya. Kadyrov's house was also fired upon on Sunday. Pavel Krasheninnikov, head of a parliamentary commission for human rights in Chechnya, told NTV the terrorist acts were "purely business to those who earn higher wages for higher casualties." The Chechen website www.kavkaz.org posted a message Tuesday from Jordanian-born warlord Khattab, saying he did not rule out "a full-scale assault" on Gudermes, Russia's administrative capital and Kadyrov's home town and on Urus Martan, a former rebel stronghold. In a telephone interview, Udugov said Chechnya was being cordoned off to allow helicopters to remove the bodies of hundreds of soldiers killed in the four blasts, without journalists seeing, therefore hiding the huge number of losses. Udugov claimed 303 soldiers had died in Naibyora, 150 in Gudermes, 140 in Urus Martan and 80 in Argun. According to the Kremlin's latest death toll, 44 soldiers had died in total: 37 in Argun, 3 in Naibyora, 2 in Gudermes and 2 in Urus Martan, state television RTR reported. Deputy Interior Ministry Ivan Golubev told ORT television that six trucks had been loaded with explosives but that the other two had failed to detonate. Late last year, rebel commander Shamil Basayev had threatened to unleash a wave of Islamic suicide attacks on Russia. However the threat was not carried out. The Russian military operation in Chechnya began soon after a series of apartment bombings across Russia in August and September killed 292 people. |
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