Chechen Rebels Remain on the Offensive

Facing numerically superior federal forces, Chechen rebels mounted an attack on a Russian convoy, killing one serviceman and wounding seven, the military said Thursday.

Meanwhile, Russian soldiers in the mountains searched for comrades missing from another ambush.

Although the rebels have suffered heavy losses and have been driven out of much of the separatist republic in the seven-month war, they recently have launched a series of attacks on federal forces. The attacks undermine Russian officials’ frequent claim to have the guerrillas under control.

In the latest ambush, a convoy Wednesday near Mesker-Yurt, east of the Chechen capital, Grozny, was hit with explosives and grenade launchers.

Most rebels fled to the southern mountains after fleeing Grozny in early February, but the Mesker-Yurt attack showed that they still have a presence in the Russian-occupied flatlands.

Meanwhile, in Strasbourg, France, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly recommended that Russia be suspended unless it moves immediately to make peace in Chechnya.

The council’s 291-member assembly voted overwhelmingly to recommend Russia’s suspension if it does not agree to a cease-fire in Chechnya and begin talks with rebel leaders immediately.

A fight broke out, and the Russian delegation walked out of the session when legislators took the additional step of suspending Russia’s voting rights in the human rights body.

If Russia were suspended from the 41-nation council, it would represent a setback to Russian aspirations for closer ties with European institutions. The council, set up in 1949 to promote human rights, democracy and cooperation in postwar Europe, has never suspended a member.