MOSCOW. Aug 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The share of mercenaries does not exceed 10 percent of the total number of guerrillas offering resistance to federal forces in Chechnya, federal troops commander Lieutenant General Sergei Makarov said in an interview published by the Krashaya Zvezda newspaper on Tuesday.
"We believe that mercenaries at war in Chechnya constitute about 10 percent of the total number of guerrillas. These mercenaries do not come from Arab states only, there are many Russians among them. As to the total strength of bandit formations, I would not like to disclose the precise figure though we have it. Their number is as high as bandit leaders can afford to maintain," Makarov said.
According to him, the situation in Chechnya is under control.
"Any increase in the rebel activity is out of the question. They just have no more forces to resist us. This is fact number one. But the enemy opposing us is crafty, and this is fact number two," Makarov said.
Militants get most of the money from criminal affairs on the Chechen territory, the commander said. According to him, the same things happen in Russia and abroad. "There are various sources of income available to bandit formations. Among them are common theft, sale of oil and oil products and embezzlement of funds provided for the republic's restoration. Common racket and plunder of ordinary citizens are among them, too," Makarov said.
The death of chief rebel financier Abu al-Valid, an Arab mercenary and successor of ill-known warlord Khattab, is not yet confirmed, the commander went on. Anyway, "his fate is apparently hard, just like the fate of anyone who follows the path of terrorism," he said.
"I believe that he will go down just like his predecessor Khattab soon," Makarov concluded.