MOSCOW. Sept 29 (Interfax-AVN) - Chechen First Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov said Aslan Maskhadov may be hiding in the zone of a sweep operation currently being carried out in the Nozhai-Yurt district.
"I'm 90% sure Maskhadov is in the territory where the special operation has been underway for more than 24 hours," Kadyrov told Interfax by phone on Tuesday.
He added that this can be ascertained by "the militants' fierce resistance."
Kadyrov said that for the first time the militants have changed their tactics and are not trying to leave the scene where they were spotted right after the first clash.
"Seven clashes have occurred in the area between the villages of Alleroi and Meskety over the past 24 hours. We think that by offering resistance and engaging in open fighting, the militants are trying to distract our attention away from a very important figure and allow this figure to break out of the encirclement," said Kadyrov.
He confirmed that Ramzan Yunusov, the commander of the Chechen Interior Ministry's patrol company, died of wounds suffered in the fighting. "He was a brave man, a former ally to Maskhadov, but, having understood Maskhadov's ruinous policy, he voluntarily surrendered to Chechen law enforcement agencies and fought against Maskhadov for a year," he said.
He said the militants had lost about 25 men.
Kadyrov said that he is personally controlling the operation in which the presidential security service, a patrol regiment, Chechnya's special police force and interior troops are involved. The Chechen law enforcement agencies are in command of combat operations, Kadyrov said.