Russia attacks Chechen capital

Fierce clashes were reported between Russian forces and Islamic rebels on the outskirts of the encircled city. Up to 1,500 Islamic rebels are estimated to be in the Chechen capital, working in small units of 15 to 20 soldiers.

Earlier, Russian tank units had begun advancing on the outskirts of Grozny in a bid to tighten the cordon around the city, rebel sources told Interfax news agency. Artillery shells were hitting the city 8220;practically every minute8221;, a correspondent with Interfax said.

Russian reconnaissance units and Chechen rebels also clashed in several suburbs and on the hills outside Grozny, rebel commander Aslanbek Ismailov said.

Earlier this week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the end of the war was near amid increasing signs of a final Russian push to storm Grozny.But the Russian military commander in the Caucasus, general Viktor Kasanzev, had on Friday said Russian troops would not storm Grozny. Instead, elite interior ministry troops and pro-Russian Chechen militias would take the Chechen capital in what he called a 8220;special operation8221;.

Gen Kasanzev said protecting the lives of Russian soldiers and of civilians was crucial. Though the Chechen rebels had issued Russian forces a three-day ultimatum to remove all federal checkpoints from his republic or face Chechen counter-attacks, one federal Russian source stationed in a base in Khankala, just east of Grozny, said an all-out assault just had to be launched.

quot;The operation to take Grozny is scheduled to last five days, but everything will be decided by developments,quot; one source in the Khankala headquarters said. But soldiers forecast a difficult fight. quot;I am sorry for everyone: the Russians and the Chechens. It will be tough for both,quot; said a federal commander based on the southern edge of Grozny. quot;We are trying to save our soldiers, but I am not sure our strategy is very good right now,quot; he added, asking that his name not be used. An estimated 2,000 heavily armed Chechen fighters were dug in waiting for the Russians. Russia lost thousands of soldiers during a three-week assault on Grozny at the start of the 1994-1996 war.

To avoid this happening again, federal warplanes and artillery have been shelling the rebel capital for three months to soften Chechen resistance. Chechen authorities and refugees said the Russian bombardment had caused a heavy civilian death toll, although the exact number of people killed in and around the capital is not known. Meanwhile, a Russian investigation into reports of indiscipline among federal troops continues. Witnesses and human rights officials said several dozen civilians were massacred by drunken federal troops in the village of Alkhan-Yurt earlier this month. Moscow8217;s respected AVN military news agency cited military sources Friday saying that General Vladimir Shamanov, head of Russia8217;s western Front in Chechnya, had been relieved of his duties.

But the report was dismissed in Moscow as quot;not only disinformation, but a lie.quot; Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev, speaking in Belgrade where he is on an official visit, told Interfax that Shamanov8217;s responsibilities in Chechnya quot;have, on the contrary, been broadened.quot;