KHANKALA, April 27 (AVN) - Federal troops in Chechnya have come under fire 11 times in the past 24 hours, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters said on Thursday.
Small rebel groups have beefed up their activities and even staged several raids on the localities where large federal units are stationed, the spokesman told the Military News Agency. However the federals returned fire and destroyed three militant groups numbering 10 to 30 men. Four attackers were killed and two captured.
Meanwhile, the rebels continue mounting their forces in Grozny, the spokesman went on. The number of militants that have penetrated into the Chechen capital has exceeded 500. Their commanders are training interaction and getting ready to stage planned terrorist acts.
The headquarters and the Defence Ministry did not confirm a report of the France-Presse news agency claiming that another federal motorcade was ambushed on Wednesday. The Agency's sources in organisations ensuring provision of operative information on the events in Chechnya to the country's leadership did not confirm the news either.
France-Presse reported on the elimination of a federal motorcade near the village of Serzhen-Yurt and the death of 28 servicemen earlier on Thursday. The report cited Chechen sources.