GROZNY, February 14 (AVN) - A high-ranking official of the unified federal command in the North Caucasus on Monday praised the Chechen militia under command of Grozny ex-mayor Bislan Gantamirov and the courage his troopers displayed in the fights for Grozny.
Gantamirov's units will also take part in the liberation of mountainous Chechnya, the official told the Military News Agency. At the same time, other similar detachments, such as the Benoi formation, are successfully operating in the troubled republic, he stressed.
Members of various clans heed the elders' call and join the militia voluntarily to free southern Chechen districts together with the federals. The support of the locals is "a very serious, weighty and necessary backing which we always value and take into account when planning and conducting warfare," First Deputy Chief-of-Staff Valery Manilov said. However according to him, "Bislan Gantamirov needs a time-out to recover his breath."