MOSCOW. Dec 30 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that the defense minister "submit proposals for decorating those who were involved in the operation" to eliminate a gang of guerillas in Dagestan.
At a meeting with Putin on Tuesday, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov informed him that the hunt for and elimination of the guerilla unit had been completed on Monday evening. "The gang of 36 people has been hunted down and eliminated, and three of its members were captured," he said.
The guerillas were heading for Georgia, but "we did not let anyone infiltrate Georgia," he said.
Ivanov said "there is documentary evidence" that Arab mercenaries were included in the gang.
Explaining why the operation took quite a long time, Ivanov said, "First, we were trying to protect our servicemen's lives," as the troops dealt with "a well trained and equipped enemy."
"Second, the conditions were difficult," he said.