KHANKALA. Aug 6 (Interfax-AVN) - A private of the 108th paratrooper regiment was injured by the blast of a landmine planned by Chechen rebels, a spokesman for the unified federal headquarters told Interfax-Military News Agency on Tuesday.
"This happened in a forest on the outskirts of the Tsentoroi village at about 6:00 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Monday. The injured serviceman was taken to a military hospital in Khankala. According to military doctors, his life is out of danger," the spokesman said.
According to him, the blast happened when the serviceman was accomplishing a mission to guard the regiment's temporary stationing area. The guerillas planted the landmine on the sidewalk of a path leading to the stationing area.
Chechen extremists carried out several sabotage and terrorist acts against federal forces on Monday, the spokesman said.
An engineering reconnaissance patrol of the Achkhoi-Martan military commandant's office defused a powerful landmine on Monday evening. The explosive device was planted on a road between the Stary Achkhoi and Achkhoi-Martan localities. A convoy of the Achkhoi-Martan district military commandant's office was returning after a special operation on that road.
Several hours later, an engineering reconnaissance patrol of the 383rd separate special-purpose brigade of the Interior Ministry troops defused a landmine near the Shaami-Yurt village in the same district. The landmine was made on the basis of a 20l kerosene can and 1kg of plastic explosive.
According to experts of the engineering troops department in the unified federal headquarters, rebels carry out mine-planting operations with the help of local residents mainly children and youngsters.
"After teenager groups appear on roadsides, engineering reconnaissance patrols usually find "surprises", mostly on motorways that vehicles of federal forces are using," the spokesman stressed.
Five landmines were defused in Chechnya on Monday, he added.