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Chechens Plan New Attacks |
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July 8, 2000
NAZRAN, Russia (AP) -- Russia's defense minister conceded Friday that the 10-month-old military offensive against rebels in Chechnya could drag on through the winter and said the Chechens are planning new coordinated attacks. While the military has been claiming for months that victory was just days away, Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev's prognosis was much more sober. The military has been smarting since a succession of suicide truck bombings Sunday killed at least 33 soldiers, proof the rebels remain tenacious and organized. "The autumn-winter period will be a good time to complete the operation in Chechnya,'' Sergeyev told members of Russia's upper house of parliament who questioned him about the war Friday. "Despite elimination of large rebel formations, the federal forces have not yet established full and continuous control over the entire territory of Chechnya,'' he said. Citing Defense Ministry intelligence, he said rebels were planning large-scale attacks in areas ostensibly under Russian control, including parts of the capital Grozny and the Caucasus foothills. "The bandits consider it efficient to carry out a new series of terrorist acts, using vehicles full of explosives,'' he said, in remarks carried on Russian television. Sergeyev also claimed that the rebels had reshuffled their command, appointing warlord Shamil Basayev as commander in chief in place of Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov. A Maskhadov spokesman reached by telephone denied any such change. Spokesman Mumadi Saidayev said a council of 20 guerrilla commanders met overnight and decided to step up attacks. Sergeyev also said the rebels were planning to assassinate the head of Chechnya's pro-Moscow civilian administration, Muslim leader Akhmad Kadyrov. Meanwhile, a rebel spokesman also said new offensives were on the way. A council of 20 guerrilla commanders met overnight and decided to step up attacks, Mumadi Saidayev, spokesman for Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, told The Associated Press by telephone. "Taking into account the favorable factors in the current situation, the defense council decided to take measures on starting large-scale military operations,'' Saidayev said. Maskhadov was elected president in 1997 but has little control over several guerrilla leaders. Russian forces withdrew from Chechnya in humiliation after a 1994-96 war, and launched another military operation last September to try to re-establish Moscow's control over the rebellious region. The campaign came after Chechen-based rebels invaded neighboring republic of Dagestan. The streets of Chechnya's second largest city, Gudermes, were quiet Friday as residents stayed inside amid speculation of an impending rebel attack, Russia's ORT television reported. Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo said Friday that Russian investigators have detained two Chechens accused of loading explosives into a truck used in one of Sunday's suicide bombings. The two men reportedly confessed to preparing the attack in Argun, where at least 26 servicemen died. Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Kozlov said altogether 80 people had been detained in connection with the bombings, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported. Russian officials have blamed poor discipline among troops for the attackers' ability to get past checkpoints and drive up to Russian positions. Reporters have observed widespread bribe-taking by troops guarding checkpoints.
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