Chechen rebel leader ordered Russian raids

MOSCOW – Top Chechen rebel leader Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility in an Internet message yesterday for raids on the southern Russian city of Nalchik that left more than 100 people dead.

“I was responsible for the general operational guidance” of the attacks on Nalchik, a message posted on a web site regularly used by Chechen rebels quoted Basayev as saying. Russian officials have said they killed 92 gunmen in two days of fighting in Nalchik, in the North Caucasus region, but the message attributed to Basayev said there had been only 41 fatalities among the militants.Basayev said the militants had killed around 140 Russian security personnel.Russian officials have said 33 security personnel were killed, along with 12 local civilians.Basayev said the attacks in Nalchik had been carried out by 217 “mujahedeen” of the rebel Caucasus Front and had targeted 15 “military objectives” – each of which was specifically identified in the statement – representing various branches of Russia’s security forces.He said losses among the gunmen were due to a “major information leak” five days ahead of the the attacks last Thursday, which had permitted the security forces of the “infidels” to sent elite troop reinforcements to the city.Russian security forces exchanged gunfire with pockets of trapped gunmen on Thursday and Friday well beyond two hours after the launch of the attacks at around 9:15am.- Nampa-AFPRussian officials have said they killed 92 gunmen in two days of fighting in Nalchik, in the North Caucasus region, but the message attributed to Basayev said there had been only 41 fatalities among the militants.Basayev said the militants had killed around 140 Russian security personnel.Russian officials have said 33 security personnel were killed, along with 12 local civilians.Basayev said the attacks in Nalchik had been carried out by 217 “mujahedeen” of the rebel Caucasus Front and had targeted 15 “military objectives” – each of which was specifically identified in the statement – representing various branches of Russia’s security forces.He said losses among the gunmen were due to a “major information leak” five days ahead of the the attacks last Thursday, which had permitted the security forces of the “infidels” to sent elite troop reinforcements to the city.Russian security forces exchanged gunfire with pockets of trapped gunmen on Thursday and Friday well beyond two hours after the launch of the attacks at around 9:15am.- Nampa-AFP