ROSTOV-ON-DON. Jan 16 (Interfax-South) - The commander of the Russian troops in the North Caucasus Vladimir Boldyrev says there is still no certainty about whether Chechen field commander Ruslan Gelayev was among the members of a rebel group eliminated in Dagestan's Tsunta district.
"The investigation is continuing. Assertions about whether or not Gelayev was in the group are premature," Boldyrev said at a news conference at Interfax on Friday.
"An answer can be given to this question only after prosecutors finish examining the bodies of the 15 rebels killed in the mountains," he said.
"The task set before the troops was completed. The rebel group was eliminated and five rebels were taken prisoner. There are no more rebels in the Tsunti district," said Boldyrev.