KHANKALA. Jan 10 (Interfax-AVN) - Federal army aviation helicopters hammered small rebel gangs on the move from the Mesker Yurt village to the locality of Oktyabrskoye in Chechnya on Thursday, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters told Interfax-Military News Agency.
Strikes were also made on the rebels exposed south of the Shali and Buniaul villages, the spokesman said. Helicopter crews failed to calculate losses among guerrillas due to poor visibility. Motorized rifle units were sent to the areas where the gangs had been spotted.
Air scouts continue to register active movement of militant gangs near the Russian-Georgian border. That is why MI-24 Hind helicopters carried out several strikes on guerrillas' temporary camps that had been exposed by reconnaissance. According to early reports, two camps and several detached shelters were destroyed.
Transport helicopters made over 30 flights to various Chechen localities and federal stationing areas on Thursday, the spokesman said. They airlifted about 100 servicemen and a large amount of cargo that included food.