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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 9 - 15 March 2000 Issue No. 472
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Focus Books Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons The Chechen fight back
Abdel-Malek KhalilIn an unexpected development that astonished observers, Chechen Islamist militant forces dealt a heavy blow to Russian troops supposedly carrying out mopping up operations after their partial recapture of the Chechen capital Grozny a fortnight ago.
The Chechen separatist forces have staged a series of impressive surprise attacks on Russian troops and guerrilla warfare appears to be erupting throughout Chechnya. The Russians have publicly admitted that they have sustained huge losses in arms, ammunition and personnel.
It now appears that the Russians do not have complete control over Grozny. In one of the bloodiest ambushes in recent days, Chechen separatist forces attacked a column of Russian troops in Grozny's north-western outskirts killing nearly 40 Russian troop and wounding some 30 others, according to Russian officials. However, the Chechens claim that the death toll was much higher.
Russian Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo said that the Russian commanders, "responsible for this tragedy will be subject to a most harsh punishment", adding that this would be up to the level of criminal culpability.
Russian troops deployed in Chechnya are under intense pressure to wipe out any resistance by Chechen separatists before the Russian presidential election, scheduled to take place in March. Russian troops routinely round up Chechen men of fighting age, accusing them of being Islamist militants. The men are then sent to detention camps from where mass torture has been reported. Russia officially denies the allegations, but many humanitarian relief agencies and human rights organisations say that there is mounting evidence of widespread Russian violations of human rights and mass torture.
Ferocious battles have been taking place to the south of Grozny. Large contingents of Russian army and special forces were deployed around the strategic village of Duba-Yurt, at the mouth of the Argun Gorge in mountainous southern Chechnya where the last Chechen separatist strongholds are located. Russian forces bombed and shelled villages along the gorge where it is believed that between 1,000 and 1,500 Chechen fighters have taken refuge. The Chechen separatists have proved to be very adept and have utilised their thorough knowledge of their rugged homeland terrain to full effect.
Russian intelligence officers, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Chechen fighters fled from the Argun Gorge last Saturday, but Russia officially claims that many Chechen fighters are still concentrated there. The Chechen separatists corroborated the unofficial statements of the Russian intelligence sources and announced that over 2,500 of their fighters had escaped eastward from the Argun Gorge into the neighbouring Vedeno Gorge early last Friday.
The Russians have issued an arrest warrant for Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov on charges of terrorism, treason and rebellion. Russia deployed its troops in Chechnya after Islamist militants based there invaded the neighbouring, predominantly Muslim, republic of Dagestan. The Russians have also claimed that Chechen separatists are to blame for a series of apartment bombings in several Russian cities, including the capital Moscow and St Petersburg, in which an estimated 300 civilians were killed.
