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TITLE: FSB Reveals Details of Chechen Operation |
AUTHOR: Artyom Vernidub |
PUB: gazeta ru |
DATE: March 12, 2001 |
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The FSB has launched an operation officially named "Mojaheddin", aimed at rooting out rebels posing as peaceful civilians. But the operation has another purpose. The Federal Security Service (FSB), using tried and tested KGB methods, intends to spread panic among the rebel "werewolves." The first official reports about Operation Mojaheddin emerged on March 11 when it was reported that on Sunday federal units had implemented the first stage of the operation in the Chechen towns of Argun and Urus-Martan. However, in the regions neighbouring on Chechnya the operation has reportedly been on for over two months already, and has already brought noticeable results. The aim of operation Mujaheddin in the regions neighbouring Chechnya is to reprimand rebels who, posing as peaceful civilians, have managed to slip through checkpoints and settle in towns and villages near the Chechen border. Within the rebellious republic the main aim of Operation Mujaheddin is to detect "werewolves" ? rebels who pose as peaceful residents but who are on constant standby to spring surprise attacks on the federal forces. The primary results of the operation were revealed on February 26 in the city of Yessentuki, Southern Russia, where the director of the FSB Nikolai Patrushev held a meeting with the command of the Federal operational headquarters in Chechnya. According to the FSB the most significant success to date outside Chechnya has been in the neighbouring republic of Dagestan. Within the framework of Operation Mojaheddin over 700 people have already been detained on suspicion of being involved with so-called bandit formations. 41 of those 700 have been convicted on charges of belonging to illegal armed formations. The rest are waiting for their fate to be decided by the Dagestani prosecutor's office. Also, in the course of the operation federals have seized almost 700 rifles. For instance, at a farm in Verkhnekazanishchensky a grenade cup discharge with 155 rockets was seized from suspected rebels; in Buinaksk an Azerbaijani national Etibar-ogly Azergadzhiyev was freed from his kidnappers. In Khasavyurt law enforcers stopped a Lada car in which they found several kilos of explosives and a plan of a route into the office of the mayor of Khasavyurt. In the republic of Karachai-Circassia only 6 persons were arrested, which has led the law enforcers to conclude that the majority of rebels prefer to hide in Dagestan. The FSB is convinced that as soon as the trees begin to leaf and the so-called "green season" (zelyonka) begins, the rebels will attempt to return to Chechnya. It is known that the rebels are profoundly experienced in waging guerilla war, and it has always been easier for them to attack from forests and woodland where it is extremelydifficult for the federals to track them down. Thus henceforth, outside Chechnya Operation Mojaheddin will be aimed at preventing rebels from returning to the republic. And that means it will be harder to enter Chechnya than to leave. Such circumstances are sure to frustrate the Chechen Civil Administration's attemptstoencourage refugees to return to Chechnya from neighbouring republics. Within the framework of Operation Mojaheddin, inside Chechnya law enforcers will attempt to track rebels'movements in lowlandareas. In places where the concentration of rebels is estimated as high, regular so-called clean up operations will be conducted. In addition, the law enforcers have reportedly stepped up their efforts to recruit local informers to tip off the FSB about suspicious movements and persons. According to the Interior Ministry's North Caucasian department, acting on data received from informers, several bandit gangs have already been put under surveillance. Reportedly, those gangs came from the mountainous Nozhai-Yurt district to settlements in the lowlands and the law enforcers are poised to neutralize those gangs at any moment. Clean-up operations conducted on Sunday in Argun and Urus-Martan were also a part of Operation Mojaheddin. The two towns are known as places where the rebels feel safe and are openly defiant towards the Federals. The Federal authorities insist that all operations conducted within the framework of Mojaheddin are being implemented in strict compliance with the Criminal Procedure Code, so that local authorities cannot accuse them of human rights abuses and arbitrariness. But then, if law enforcers really fully complied with criminalprocedure laws, it would be extremely difficult for them to separate genuine civilians from the rebels. 10 out of 13 men detained in the course of a recent "clean-up" in the village of Dzhalka were released due to lack of evidence even though the law enforcers insisted they had found weapons in the cellars of the suspects' homes. And in order to justify the arrest of the alleged financier of the famous warlord Shamil Basayev, FSB officers were compelled to show reporters a notebook purportedly containing an estimate of $15 thousand for a construction project. However, the fact remains that even peaceful civilians in Chechnya are reluctant to report on neighbours known to be with the rebels. They remain silent out of fear, and also due to their hostility towards the Federals. But even if they do report upon someone, they usually do so to take revenge in a personal dispute. END |