KHANKALA. Dec 31 (Interfax-AVN) - Units of the airborne operations group organic of the unified federal troops group in the North Caucasus have started the replacement of elite police forces at strongpoints in mountainous areas of Chechnya, a competent source in the unified federal headquarters said on Tuesday.
"In accordance with a decision of the group's commander Lieutenant General Sergei Makarov, airborne task forces started replacing elite police forces at strongpoints in Chechnya's mountainous areas circa December 20," the source told Interfax- Military News Agency.
He stressed that policemen in three districts of the troubled republic will be replaced. These are the Vedeno and Nozhai-Yurt districts and several areas of the Kurchaloi district.
"The replacement was planned beforehand and has nothing to do with the terrorist act at the government headquarters on December 27," the source noted.
The unified federal troops group in the North Caucasus currently includes a regiment-size task force and two battalion- size task forces of the Airborne Troops totaling some 2,500 people.