Russians Attack Rebels Entrenched in West Chechnya
Russian aircraft and artillery pounded villages in western Chechnya in a bid to crush rebel resistance on Saturday, triggering a flood of refugees.
Gen. Vyacheslav Tikhomirov, Russia’s top military commander in Chechnya, told the Interfax news agency that federal forces had surrounded the mountain village of Bamut, about 30 miles southwest of the capital, Grozny.
He said rebels had been cut off from possible reinforcements, “especially the village of Samashki.” Since Friday, thousands of people have fled Samashki, about 12 miles further north, as shells rained down on nearby areas.
However, the main target for Russian forces appeared to be Bamut, a former Soviet nuclear missile base transformed into a fortress for rebels loyal to separatist leader Dzhokar M. Dudayev.
Russian television reported from Bamut on Friday that an unspecified number of Russian soldiers were being held prisoner in the village.
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