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TITLE: Russia Trying to Freeze Military Operations in Chechnya |
AUTHOR: |
PUB: Kavkaz-Tsentr |
DATE: December 29, 2000 |
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Sub-units of the Chechen mojahedin have intensified their activities and are exerting pressure on the occupying Russian forces. Mobile detachments of Chechen soldiers are continuously attacking the enemy's position and are striking intensive blows on the Russian units in almost all districts of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. The mojahedin are more active in districts with flat terrain and in large population centers such as Dzhokhar [Groznyy], Gudermes, Argun, Shali, Kurchaloy and Urus-Martan. [passage omitted: details of battles] While local battles are under way, protest rallies are being staged by civilians, who demand that robbery, marauding, killing and kidnapping by the Russian occupiers should come to an end. Protest rallies and pickets are regularly held in Kurchalovskiy District. [passage omitted: more about rallies in different districts] The mojahedin command believes that the rallies and pickets have been provoked by the occupiers themselves with the aim of exerting pressure on the Russian military leadership for the withdrawal of subunits from Chechnya. More than once, Russian officers have said privately that the rallies and pickets by population can force the command of the occupying forces to reconsider their tactics and and start genuine negotiations [with Chechen leadership]. The mojahedin command is sceptical about the rallies and demonstrations and announced that the situation can be changed by no means other than armed resistance and destruction of the enemy. In this connection, in an interview to "Golos of Dzhikhad" [Voice of Jihad] newspaper published in Chechnya the amir of the Supreme Majlis of al-Shura, Shamil Basayev, said that we would not succumb to the trickery of Kremlin, which is trying to come up with a mechanism to temporarily freeze Russia's military actions in Ichkeria. Russia will not be given this opportunity, Basayev said. END |