Rebel Raids Spark Battles in Chechnya
(and things do not look too hot in Georgia yet wrt suppressing the Islamic extremists ...see prev msg)
Combined Reports Battles raged in southern Chechnya over the weekend after rebels launched a series of attacks targeting Chechen police and officials in the pro-Moscow administration. The attacks came only hours after Kremlin-appointed Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov had declared an unprecedented three days of mourning.
At least 12 servicemen were killed and 10 wounded, an official in the Moscow-backed Chechen administration said Sunday, speaking on condition of anonymity. Ilya Shabalkin, a military spokesman, said Saturday that 32 rebels had been found dead.
The clashes, sparked Thursday night when a rebel group entered the region, engulfed one of Chechnya's biggest town, Urus-Martan, 20 kilometers southwest of Grozny. Fighting continued Sunday in nearby Gekhi-Chu and on the outskirts of Shalazhi and Martan-Chu, the Chechen official said. The rebels ambushed military checkpoints, attacked local police and military commandants' headquarters and raided private homes of pro-Moscow officials. The military hit back by pounding the Urus-Martan and Vedeno districts by helicopter gunship and with artillery, the official said.
Four Chechen police officers in Martan-Chu were executed Friday after a ruling by a rebel court based on Islamic Shariah law, local official Shirvani Yasayev said Sunday, Interfax reported. The rebels dragged the policemen from their homes, took them to the outskirts of the village and opened fire, he said.
Kommersant said a force of 100 to 150 rebel fighters entered Martan-Chu late Thursday and moved on to Shalazhi. Chechen officials, however, said only about 20 rebels entered Shalazhi, which was then surrounded by federal troops.
The Shalazhi attacks attracted unusual media attention because some television crews were in the vicinity.
Interfax reported that the military confiscated cameras, tapes and documents from ORT and TV Center crews filming the fighting. Both crews got their equipment back after meeting with Kadyrov on Friday, the Kremlin's press office on Chechnya told Interfax.
Kadyrov on Friday called the attacks a stunt designed to make headlines and prove to the rebels' "sponsors" that they are still capable of carrying out attacks.
Kommersant on Saturday linked the attacks to a recent meeting in Zurich between former Security Council secretary Ivan Rybkin and Akhmed Zakayev, the representative of Chechen separatist leader Aslan Maskhadov. The rebels have no hope of getting Moscow to agree to peace talks if they are unable to show they are capable of continuing the war, the newspaper said. Rybkin said Saturday on Ekho Moskvy that Maskhadov's side was ready for talks and promised to halt military actions if talks began, Interfax reported.
The rebel attacks began only hours after Kadyrov had declared three days of mourning over the deaths of three civilian women believed to have been killed accidentally by federal troops.
"Not for days or months, but for years blood has been spilling on Chechen soil," he said in a statement released Thursday. "Now we have come to the last limit, this cannot be tolerated any longer. If those who pull the trigger think they can go on with their crimes while I keep announcing endless mourning they are mistaken."
Kadyrov also on Thursday questioned the need for so many federal troops in the republic, suggesting that local police should be able to finish off the remaining rebels. (AP, MT)
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