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TITLE: Moscow Handed Bloody Chechen Reminder |
AUTHOR: Chris Stephen |
PUB: The Scotsman |
DATE: January 9, 2001 |
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Chechen rebels ambushed a fuel truck convoy and fought a pitched battle with Russian troops in the capital city Grozny at the weekend, in a reminder that this is a war that is not about to go away. At least three troops and a prosecution officer died when rebel units opened fire as the convoy passed through a Grozny suburb, a city supposedly controlled by Moscow. And on the same day a Muslim religious leader was gunned down in his home in the town of Urus Martan, south of Grozny. He is the second Muslim leader, or Imam, to be shot dead in recent weeks. The Chechen rebels, communicating through a website, said eight Russian soldiers died and 13 were wounded when guerrilla units opened fire on the convoy on Saturday afternoon. They said the rebels later escaped after a 40 minute battle. Russia said only four died in the battle. Chechnya is shaping up to be Russia's Vietnam. A new, more aggressive strategy of sending army units out into the countryside to take on the lightly-armed rebels has failed to halt the fighting. The number of refugees from the fighting is rising. More than 143,000 are now registered living in the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia, many enduring a second bitter winter in tents rather than risk being caught in the cross-fire by returning home. Russia said 200 more people were added to that total on Sunday alone. The fighting comes amid fresh tensions with Georgia, Moscow, which has previously accused the Georgians of allowing Chechen rebels to base hunits in their territory, has warned its citizens not to go to Georgia because of fears of kidnapping. Last August three Red Cross officials were kidnapped in the Pankisi Gorge in northern Georgia, and released after nine days of talks. Georgian police are still searching for two Spanish businessmen abducted in the Georgian capital, Tblisi and also believed to be held somewhere in the gorge, home to ethnic Chechens. But Georgia's foreign ministry has accused Moscow of trying to inflame the situation: "They are manipulating the facts of certain criminal actions artificially to heighten tensions and worsen Georgia's international image," said a ministry statement released by the ministry in Tblisi. Georgia has already antagonised Russia after making overtures to join NATO. Many Georgians are nervous about the possibility of the war spilling over into their own country. Georgia has a small ethnic Chechen population living in the north of the country and is also home to several thousand refugees from the fighting. The Georgian president, Eduard Shevardnadze, moving to calm the situation,said: "Any tension with our large neighbour is unacceptable for both Georgia and Russia." The conflict will prove a key test for the leadership of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin. He ordered the troops in, in October 1999, while still prime minister. But despite a massive military campaign, the war continues to grind on with no sign of a solution. More than 2,500 Russian servicemen have died, as well as an unknown, but much larger, number of Chechen civilians. The ambush in Grozny, a city supposedly under firm Moscow control since it was captured in a two-month siege last winter, will be seen as a sign of the confidence guerrilla commanders have in the ability of their troops to bypass front lines and road blocks. END |