KHANKALA, March 27 (AVN) - Airborne tactical groups, conducting raid operations on the foothills of Chechnya's Vedeno gorge, have engaged with militants twice in the past 24 hours, a source in the unified federal headquarters told the Military News Agency.
According to him, the engagements were brief, and the federal forces did not suffer losses.
The militants withhold from infighting and try to move across the land, primarily in the night, Major-General Alexander Lentsova, airborne group commander in Chechnya, told the Agency. That is why airborne tactical groups search for dispersed rebel gangs and destroy them, calling for re-enforcement when necessary. The airborne troops use practically the same tactics as rebels, the source said. They operate in 10- to 15-strong manoeuverable detachments, which allows to withhold from engagements with outnumbering enemy forces. The detachments can eliminate small rebel groups and direct the federal aviation on larger enemy units.