GUDERMES, May 6 (AVN) - The situation has aggravated lately in the Shali district of Chechnya, a source in the Interior Ministry department for the Chechen republic told the Military News Agency on Saturday.
Several rebel gangs have penetrated into the area of the Kurchaloi village from the mountains and are preparing to stage acts of terrorism and sabotage against the locals and federal troops, the source said.
The Interior Ministry troops are presently localising and blocking separate guerrilla gangs in the vicinity of Mairtup and Bachi-Yurt, the source went on. Artillery strikes were inflicted upon earlier exposed targets in the area on Friday. This was followed by a capture of three wounded extremists found in the course of a SWAT reconnaissance operation.
In the vicinity of Bachi-Yurt, officers of the Kurchaloi temporary interior office have found a masked funk hole containing an assault rifle, 33 grenades, cartridges, four sets of camouflage, rations and medicines. The police think the cache was dug by the rebels who have already mingled with civilians.
On the whole as many as five such caches have been eliminated in the area this week, the source added.