| Federal forces and militants faced off with firepower The last two days in Chechnya have been marked by an unexpected surge in activity by both militants and federal forces. Since Tuesday, at least four serious clashes have occurred at intervals of several hours in different parts of the republic. As a result, the military and Chechen special services lost nine people killed and about ten wounded. Federal forces during retaliatory special operations, according to the headquarters of the joint group of forces, destroyed at least 20 separatists. Whether these events were a coincidence or the result of a planned intensification of militants, yesterday the intelligence services could not really say.
The most serious emergency occurred at about 19.50 on Tuesday on the outskirts of Grozny on the Caucasus federal highway, near the village of Gikalovsky. The militants there tried to attack a column of internal troops. The armored personnel carrier following in front was blown up by a powerful guided landmine, after which machine gun fire was opened from the bushes on the remaining vehicles. The fighters were immediately able to organize a defense, and, given their numerical superiority, the attackers retreated. No one was injured during the shelling, but when the armored personnel carrier exploded, five soldiers in it were killed and six more were wounded. The military immediately began a pursuit, and half an hour later they spotted one of the cars nearby in which the militants were trying to escape. As a result, five bandits in her cabin were killed and three more were wounded. Already yesterday morning, while combing the area in that area, special forces discovered and destroyed seven more militants.
Shortly before this, in the Vedeno district, near the village of Zhani-Vedeno, soldiers of the “Vostok” battalion of the republican commandant’s office, staffed by local residents, discovered a detachment of militants in the mountains, according to their estimates, numbering up to 40 people. In a fierce firefight, four soldiers were killed and one was wounded. At the same time, four more riflemen from the Vostok battalion were wounded in a shootout near the neighboring village of Dargo.
Another detachment of militants was discovered by army special forces on Tuesday near the village of Belgatoy in the same Vedeno district. Since the bandits were too far away, the scouts called for help. Soon a Mi-8 helicopter arrived and landed troops in the indicated area. At the same time, militants from the forest fired several shots at the helicopter, and one of the bullets broke the glass of the cockpit. Some of them were slightly injured by glass fragments. As a result, two Mi-24 attack helicopters covering the landing force discovered the bandits and launched a missile attack on them. While inspecting the militants' positions, the scouts later found the remains of at least four people. Alexey GRISHIN |
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