MOSCOW. March 9 (Interfax-AVN) - Servicemen of the Russian Interior Ministry Force destroyed about 150 rebels in Chechnya in 2003, Interior Ministry Force Commander-in-Chief Vyacheslav Tikhomirov said on Tuesday.
"Interior Ministry Force units in Chechnya are currently much more active than in 2002. They destroyed nearly 150 rebels and detained over 1,000 people suspected of membership in illegal armed formations last year. In addition, they seized and destroyed over 1,500 pieces of arms and over 500,000 ammo pieces and prevented more than 1,000 blasts," Tikhomirov told Interfax- Military News Agency.
"The number of special operations carried out in Chechnya has declined somewhat," he said.
"This is due to changes in bandits' tactics. They stop acting in large groups. That is why no large military units are required for countering them. In this connection, the Interior Ministry Force has scaled up search and reconnaissance operations and started pinpoint actions. More than 500 of them turned out efficient," Tikhomirov noted.
Units of the Interior Ministry Force have increased interaction with other Interior Ministry bodies as well as with units of the Defense Ministry and other law-enforcement agencies. More than 3,500 search and combat operations were held jointly in 2003, the commander said.