Russian troops stay put at border

MOSCOW, OCT 12: Russian troops on the border between Ingushetia and Chechnya have dug in, but say they have no immediate intention of lau...

MOSCOW, OCT 12: Russian troops on the border between Ingushetia and Chechnya have dug in, but say they have no immediate intention of launching a perilous attack against Chechen rebels hiding out in the mountains. The government troops, occupying a strategic high country position from where they can control movement across the border, engage in frequent clashes with the Islamic rebels.

Russian soldiers say the rebels sometimes disguise themselves as refugees in a bid to cross the border but the government forces halt them with bursts of automatic gunfire. 8220;Nobody has the right to cross this border,8221; said one soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity. 8220;We often fire on people trying to get across.8221;

The border here is 20 km from Bamut, in the Atshkhoy Martan district, where the Russians say large numbers of Chechen fighters are dug in. Russian troops never managed to capture Bamut during the 1994-96 Chechen war and describe it as a natural fortress in a mountainous region where any ground advance isdifficult.

The Russians, although they have consolidated their positions here, say they have no intention of encircling the region. One officer, Alexei, said that if the Russians were to attack they would meet 8220;particularly stiff resistance.8221; Meanwhile, Russia claimed on Monday to have cornered warlord Shamil Basayev in a Chechen village and said killing the guerrilla leader had become a point of honour for its troops, a news agency reported from Grozny.

General Vladimir Shamanov, commander of Russia8217;s 58th Army, made the remarks during a meeting with Chechen elders in the Nadterechny region, ITAR-TASS reported. The Nadterechny region came under Russian control on Monday when Moscow8217;s forces advanced south of the strategic Terek river, which bisects the republic and forms the natural boundary of a 8220;security zone8221; in the republic.

Basayev had earlier on Monday threatened to unleash a terrorist campaign against Russia unless it halted its military drive in Chechnya. 8220;The Russian leadership will soonhave the chance to demonstrate how it combats terrorism against Russian citizens,8221; Basayev said in a telephone interview.8220;This may happen soon. I have enough men and equipment to mount such an operation,8221; added Basayev, a renowned field commander during the 1994-96 Chechen war which left Grozny with de facto independence.

Russian interior minister Vladimir Rushailo last week said federal forces who now occupy more than a third of Chechnya were actively hunting down Basayev and his loyal lieutenant Khattab, vowing to capture them dead or alive.

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Basayev and Khattab were the prime movers behind incursions into Dagestan in August and September by guerrillas whose avowed aim was to recreate a 19th-century Islamic state from Chechnya and Dagestan. The pair have been further accused by Moscow of masterminding last month8217;s apartment bombing campaign in which nearly 300 people died but they have denied involvement.

The bombings and insurgencies have been used by Moscow to justify a massive military operationto root out Chechnya-based Islamic guerrillas which culminated in the October 1 drive to carve out a security zone. Thousands of government soldiers, armour and artillery poured into the breakaway Chechen republic on October 1 while the Air Force stepped up air raids launched over a month ago.

A Chechen presidential spokesman said more than 700 civilians have died in the air raids and artillery attacks since September 5. Some 10 villages have been totally destroyed out of 70 that have been targeted, he said.

Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov promised on Sunday to root out armed groups based in his beleaguered republic in exchange for peace but the offer cut little ice with a Moscow angered by Basayev8217;s appointment last month as commander of Chechnya8217;s eastern front.