Kavkaz News: Mountain War Continues
Kavkaz News: Chechens And Russians Clash In Mountains
Transcript from… http:///www.chechnya.xnet.is/ … the official news service of the Chechen rebels.
TRANSCRIPT BEGINS
Kavkaz-Tsentr reports:
The fighting in Itum-Kale continues. The mujahideen attacked the Russians who entered the village a few days ago. Up to 30 Russians were killed, and one BMP was knocked out. There were no casualties on the Chechen side. According to the commander of the Chechen units in Itum-Kale the Russians are trying to expand the zone controlled by them in that combat area and are transporting more troops and munitions into it.
During the
last 24 hours bitter clashes took place on the south-western
outskirts of Elistanzhi. The Russians, screened by a column
of refugees, moved towards the former holiday camp, which
had already been destroyed completely in the first war. The
refugees hurried onward under heavy fire.
In the course
of these operations the Chechens succeeded in destroying one
tank and two BMPs. 120 Russian soldiers were killed.
The
Chechen units retreated to the wooded areas of the
promontory. The defensive line along the Arzh-Akhk River
remained under their control.
The Russian air force
continued the massive bombardment of Khattuni, Tevzani,
Makhkety, Selmentauzen, and other villages. 39 civilians
have been killed.
The aggressors have not stopped their
efforts to break through the Chechen lines at the entrance
to the Argun Gorge. The Chechen positions are attacked
incessantly with artillery and rockets. The Russian air
force is bombing Zonakh, Varandy, Duba-Yurt, Chishki, and
other villages.
Fierce combat actions are taking place
near Duba-Yurt and for the commanding heights around the
entrance to the Argun Gorge. The Russians are trying to
assault the Chechen positions and are making use of
helicopters to this end. During the last 24 hours they twice
tried to break through, but the Chechens counter-attacked.
The Mujahideen managed to kill about 80 Russians, and 3
soldiers were taken prisoner.
The Chechen command has made
it known that the Russian command has established
communication with the Chechen command this morning and has
suggested exchanging Babitsky for three Russian officers
taken prisoner by the Chechen forces at the beginning iof
January. These officers are: Lieutenant Colonel Aleksandr
Petrovich Zhukov (chief of the North Caucasian Airforce
Administration), Captain Anatoly Mogutnov, and Lieutenant
Dmitriy Beglyankov.
Kavkaz-Tsentr has no further details
at this time.
The mass murder of civilians in the occupied
territories of south-western Chechnya and in Dzhokhar goes
on. According to eye-witnesses 49 civilians were shot in
Gekhi-Chu, among them 27 women and 13 children. 30 people
were arrested and taken to unknown places.
More then 400
inhabitants of Kotar-Yurt were killed. Half of the village
is destroyed.
In Shaami-Yurt 40 civilians were shot, 35
people were arrested and taken to unknown places. Due to the
bombing of the village about 150 people died.
In
Rozhni-Chu 17 people were shot, 30 were arrested and taken
to unknown places.
In Zakan-Yurt more than 100 people
died as a result of Russian air-raids. 32 people were shot.
30 people were arrested and taken to unknown places.
In
the Chechen capital during the last 4 days 350 people were
shot, among them about 270 women, children, and elderly.
According to eye-witnesses, truck columns with looted booty
are leaving the town in the direction of Stavropol and
Ossetia.
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February 14th, 2000
Kavkaz-Tsentr reports:
The fighting near
Itum-Kale and Duba-Yurt continues. The Russians are trying
to occupy the strategical heights there and to expose the
mountain roads to fire. The Mujahideen are trying to hinder
them from achieving this goal. Near Itum-Kale face-to-face
fighting took place between advanced units of the Russians
and units of the Mujahideen who are guarding one of the
roads to Shatoy. Efforts of the Russians to move in this
direction failed. Having lost about 30 men, the Russians
retreated to their former positions.
Near Duba-Yurt the
Mujahideen remain in control of the tactical heights and of
the settlement itself. During the last 24 hours the Russians
once again tried to break through the Chechen defensive
positions. Their movement has halted by Chechen fire. Three
Russian tanks have been knocked out.
According to the
Defence staff of the ChRI the Chechen forces have left
Elistanzhi. The front-line now is situated along teh River
Arzh-Akhk.
The Russian airforce has attacked the
mountain villages of Khattuni, Toyzeni, Makhkety, Zonakh,
Varandy, Cheshki, Shatoy, Borzoy, Bitchig, and others.
During the last three days more than 200 civilians have died
in Russian bombing raids.
Ilyas Talkhadov, the commander
of the presidential guard of the ChRI, fell on February 10th
near Duba-Yurt. Talkhadov took an active part in the defense
of Dzhokhar. During the withdrawal from the town his unit
suffered minimal casualties.
Talkhadov was the former
security chief of President Maskhadov and was appointed
commander of the presidential guard by Maskhadov in 1997.
From 1992-1995 he had served in the presidential guard of
Dzhokhar Dudayev.
In the past months five well-known
Chechen commanders have died: Ilyas Talkhadov, Lechi Dudayev
(mayor of Dzhokhar), Isa Astamirov (vice prime-minister of
the leadership of the ChRI), Aslambek Ismailov (military
commander of Dzhokhar), and Khunkar-Pasha Israpilov (leader
of the anti-terrorist centre of the ChRI).
According to the Chechen command the Mujahideen are regrouping their forces. Due to this, Chechen units have been withdrawn from several villages and stationed in new positions. The Chechen vice-president Vakha Arsanov confirmed this in an interview with Chechen TV and emphasized that this was related to the changes in the military situation in various parts of the war theatre.
Movladi Udugov (Deputy of the Amir of the
Congress of the Muslims of Ichkeriya and Dagestan) once
again designated the Putin regime's fundamental ideology as
"Russism". This term was coined by Chechnya's first
president Dzhokhar Dudayev, who repeatedly emphasized that
Russism was a threat to the whole world. Russism signifies a
satanic, merciless onslaught on the weak, and slavish
cringing before the mighty.
In Mr. Udugov's opinion this
mentality is deeply rooted in the Russian people's mind, a
people that has usually been governed by criminals. In the
course of history it has been masked with different
ideological labels: tsarism, communism, democracy, or
orthodoxy. But in reality these terms have been merely a
camouflage for the same satanic phenomenon that remains one
of the most dangerous threats to the whole world--and also
to the west, which keeps this Russism alive with enormous
financial aid.
Mr. Udugov says that the Chechen people
are resisting this danger to the benefit of all mankind. If
the international community does not recognize this danger
today it may be too late tomorrow.
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