Chechen Rebels Shoot Down Russian Helicopter, Kill 9Chechen rebels shot down a Russian army helicopter near Chechnya's capital Grozny on Monday, killing nine Russian military servicemen aboard, including a general of federal troops.The Mi-8 helicopter came under rebel crossfire and crashed on a helicopter pad. The shooting and the blaze inside the aircraft killed deputy head of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Department Maj. Gen. Anatoly Pozdnyakov and eight other servicemen, a Russian army spokesman told reporters here. Pozdnyakov was leading a commission coordinating the activities of the army, the police and the Chechen government, the spokesman said. |
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