KHANKALA, April 10 (AVN) - The Russian General Staff is specifying operative and tactical missions of the unified federal group in the North Caucasus for the spring and summer of 2000, a source in the group headquarters said on Monday.
The task was set up by Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev who is in charge of the anti-guerrilla operation in Chechnya. In order to accomplish it, Chief-of-Staff Anatoly Kvashnin made a three-day trip to the North Caucasus. He held several closed meetings with high-ranking officials of the Defence Ministry, Interior Ministry, and Federal Border Guard Service to outline the tactics and strategy of the federal troops for the next five months.
One of the main operative and tactical missions is mounting search and intelligence activities in Chechen foothills and mountains. These operations are to be accompanied by effective aviation and artillery strikes on exposed guerrilla gangs and caches.
The federals are also to enforce their checkpoints at main directions of possible rebel breakthroughs with military positions of army units and improve bodies in charge of command and interaction between the Defence Ministry, Interior Ministry and border guards.
In order to accomplish these missions certain staff rotation is planned in the group's leadership.