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| Caucasus |
| Russians launch new strikes on Chechens near Ingush border |
| 2002-09-29 |
| Russian armed forces launched new air and artillery strikes on Chechen rebels in the mountains of Ingushetia, and moved to cut off their escape routes into neighbouring Chechnya. Chechen police were put on high alert along the republic's border with Ingushetia and Russian troops blocked roads and paths in the foothills near the administrative frontier. Extra checkpoints have been set up and security has been tightened around administrative buildings and Russian military positions. Okay. So how'd they do? Presumed rebel positions in the forests around the Ingush border village of Galashki were bombarded overnight Friday and early Saturday. Russian forces maintained their sweep through the rugged mountain area, and four injured rebels were taken prisoner. Two have been flown to Moscow, Ingush interior ministry officials said. Very large men with moustachios and truncheons are busy making those guys real unhappy right this very moment... At least 110 Chechen rebels had died since the outbreak of fighting on Thursday between Russian forces and a group of rebels said to have crossed from neighbouring Georgia. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov admitted Friday to the loss of 17 servicemen. A Chechen rebel spokesman on the separatist website kavkaz.org, Amir Sultan, said Friday that up to 100 Russian soldiers had been killed in the battle zone, while only six Chechens had died, with five missing and the remainder already across the border in Chechnya. The tolls cannot be independently verified. Given the records of both sides, there are more dead Russers than admitted, and many more dead Chechens than admitted... Russian deputy state prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky said that two of the captured rebels testified that their group had entered Ingushetia from the Pankisi gorge region in neighbouring Georgia. The 200-strong group of rebels had crossed the border in early September and lain low in the forests of Ingushetia and North Ossetia for nearly a month. And they've bumped off 110 of the 200. That leaves 90 to go... He said the rebels were wearing foreign-made uniforms that had been sent to their hideout in the Pankisi Gorge in the guise of humanitarian aid. We can guess where that originated... They had been intending to "cross into Chechnya, avoiding armed clashes until the winter when they were to engage in military activities and sabotage," he said. Ingush police said meanwhile that six bodies have been recovered since the fighting began on Thursday. Six? That's, ummmm... less than 110. 104 less, to be exact... One body, initially believed to be that of a British national, freelance cameraman Roddy Scott, has been taken to the Ingush capital Nazran. Fridinsky said genetic tests could be necessary to identify the body. The man's face had been too badly damaged by the explosion that killed him to allow a comparison with the photograph in the British passport that he was found to be carrying. However he said it was "quite possible" the body was that of Scott, "because he had a video camera and London Underground tickets were found in his pocket." Too bad about that. Presumably he knew the risks when he went out with the Islamic killers. Now he's a freelance dead cameraman... On Friday Fridinsky said the photograph and the man's face did not match, implying that the dead man was probably not Scott. Oh, they found the rest of it, did they? Georgia meanwhile moved two army units to reinforce its border with Russia, ITAR-TASS reported from Tbilisi. The measure was taken following the increase of tension in the region, it quoted officials as saying. Maybe they should move them into Pankisi... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #2 "Wait a minute, Sasha. I think this lip goes with that guy. See if this one fits..." |
| Posted by: Fred 2002-09-29 10:45:36 |
| #1 Any hockey player will tell you it's tough to "face off" against Russians |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2002-09-29 07:39:46 |