CTO in the south of Chechnya continues

In the mountainous Itum-Kalin and Vedeno Districts of Chechnya the broad-scale counterterrorist operation (CTO), launched three days ago by federal power agencies, continues.

"Apart from the two militants' bases and hiding places found yesterday in the Vedeno District, no other results have been reached so far. Conducting special actions in the mountain-woody areas, search of small bandit groups and their bases in these areas are complicated by the landscape: the territory abounds in gorges and hard-to-reach places, where a platoon or even a battalion can easily hide, let alone a gang of a dozen, 20 or 50 persons," a source in the Military Commandant's Office of Chechnya said to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

He reiterated that the decision to introduce the CTO regime in parts of the Itum-Kalin and Vedeno Districts was made by the military command after the information appeared on possible penetration of groups of specially trained militants into Chechnya from the territory of Georgia.

Some experts in Chechnya believe that in this way the militaries express their disagreement with the Moscow's decision to cancel the CTO regime, which had persisted in Chechnya for some ten years.

"Cancellation of the CTO regime in Chechnya is a great minus for militaries, especially for officers and generals. Minus in salaries, minus in quick new ranks, minus in fast career progress and so on. I'm hundred percent sure that servicemen and special agencies will now use their best efforts to make Chechnya again the "hottest point" in Northern Caucasus," said the leader of a local NGO, who preferred to remain anonymous.