MOSCOW, DECEMBER 15: While its forces were entering the outskirts of Grozny, Kremlin had expressed alarm over Arab billionaire Osama Bin Laden's bid to mobilise 5,000 mercenaries to rescue the Chechen militants from facing imminent rout, `Voice of Russia' radio reported.A contingent of foreign mercenaries, the radio added, had already reached Turkey. Bin Laden's representatives had held talks with rebel commanders in Grozny recently, it added.Russian combat aircraft carried out several sorties on rebel strongholds in the Chechen capital. Kremlin reiterated that its land operations would be carried out in such a manner that civilians ``do not suffer casualties.''In a significant development, the militants have allowed the civilian population to leave Grozny, but stopped Russians from joining them. According to Novosti, the rebels intend to use them as human shields.Kremlin sources yesterday estimated that some 2,000 militants, secure in the trenches and fortified areas in Grozny, have mined virtually all the roads and positioned guns on rooftops. Bombings carried out during the past 24 hours have neutralised a number of rebels defending the capital.Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, in his characteristic way, has asked the West to keep out of Chechen affairs. He was speaking to mediapersons at Plisetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia yesterday.``Irrespective of what the West says on the Chechen conflict, Russia will not allow any infringement upon its national interests. Russia is not resorting to a policy of destruction, which the West had adopted in Yugoslavia early this year,'' he said.According to Russian defence ministry sources, advance parties of Russian troops have already entered the outskirts of the capital from various points after taking over Shali settlement, the last bastion of the Chechen rebel government.Meanwhile, Chechen rebels have said they had shot down two Russian planes and five helicopters and inflicted heavy losses on federal forces during clashes on the eastern side of Grozny.A Chechen military official told AFP in Nazran, Russia, by telephone that two Russian pilots had been taken prisoner yesterday. Russia has admitted losing two helicopters over rebel territory and that one of the injured pilots had been taken prisoner.In the previous two days fighting around the Alkhala military air base near Grozny, Russia has lost about 200 troops, said the Chechen military official.One plane and two helicopters were shot down in the region of Grozny, which is now completely surrounded by Russian troops, according to the Chechen account. The others were shot down in the Duba-Yurt and Chishki districts of southern Chechnya.On Monday Russia admitted that one of their SU-25 fighters was shot down over rebel territory but the pilot was rescued by Russian forces.Until then, Russia had only admitted the loss of two planes since it started its latest Chechnya offensive on September five. The Chechens say they have shot down about 10.
