20 December 2002 20:19
Rebels try to seize unemployment allowances in Chechen village
Khankala, 20 December: Bandits have made an attempt to seize the funds which were meant as allowances to the
unemployed in the village of Istisu of Gudermes District of Chechnya.
Gangsters in masks broke into a house belonging to Zura Muskhanova, an accountant at the local post office, and
demanded money at gun's point on Thursday evening [19 December]. They did not expect that the book-keeper had not
taken money as there was no security employees to guard the money. Subsequently, the criminals took away R1,500
belonging to Muskhanova.
Commenting on the attack, an official at the regional operational headquarters of the antiterrorist operation in the
North Caucasus told ITAR-TASS that special operations to find and seize participants of illegal armed units that are
carried out by federal troops was the main cause that deprived extremists of the possibility to restore the combat
capability of scattered rebel groups and change the situation for their benefit. Since the warlords of gangs have
insufficient forces and resources to carry out large-scale operations, they are forced to hold small sorties and mine
the routes along which the columns of federal troops are moving, the official went on to say.
The fact makes it impossible for small rebel groups to receive significant funds from foreign sponsors. To find
financial resources to keep their forces Chechen ringleaders do not disdain to commit robberies and armed attacks on
civilians as in the incident in Istisu.
[ITAR-TASS news agency] |
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