22:33, 4 December 2006

Residents of Chechen mountain villages are concerned with more frequent air raids and shelling

Air bombing of high-mountain village of Sharo-Argun in the Shatoiskiy District of the Republic is far from being a single incident if this sort in Chechnya during recent time, the residents of a number of mountainous villages of the Republic assert.

"During the latest two-three months, we live like on a powder keg," Ishmael, 33, a resident of the village of Serzhen-Yurt of the Shalinskiy District. "The woods in the vicinity of our village and mountain gorges here and in the neighbouring Vedenskiy, Itum-Kalinskiy and Shatoiskiy Districts are practically under non-stop attacks of aviation and artillery. We can't go to the forest for firewood. Permanent explosions are permanently damaging human health; several persons here have already died from heart attacks and insults."

Nurdi Nukhazhiev, ombudsman in the Chechen Republic, has declared his protest in connection with the events. Less than a week has passed after the PACE delegation left Chechnya, and now we witness a new tragedy," Mr. Nukhazhiev said.

Author: Sultan Abubakarov, CK correspondent