Chechen rebels target civilians

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, DEC. 10. The death toll in a car bomb blast in Chechnya on Saturday has risen to 21, as four people wounded in the attack died in hospital. Sixteen people were killed on the spot and over 50 were injured when a car blew up in a square near a mosque in the southern village of Alkhan-Yurt in low-land Chechnya.

The blast followed two car explosions that killed three people and injured dozens on Friday at a market in Pyatigorsk, in a Russian province bordering Chechnya. In yet another incident on Friday, two gunmen killed two nurses and two Russian soldiers in a hospital in a Chechen town.

Saturday's explosion was by far the bloodiest attack in Chechnya for months as rebels appear to extending their war of terror to Chechen civilians. So far they have targeted chiefly the 40,000- strong Russian force deployed in Chechnya. Most of those killed and wounded on Saturday were Chechens who had gathered to view a mined car after Russian soldiers spotted and detonated what they thought was the only bomb inside the car salon. However, about an hour later a more powerful bomb hidden under the hood tore the car to pieces.

Four Chechens suspected of having set up the bombs were arrested the same day, the deputy chief of the Russian general staff, Gen. Valery Manilov, said.

One of the men, who were all in their 20s, was believed to be a member of the Chechen unit of OMON, Russia's paramilitary force, he told the Interfax news agency.

``This proves that the rebels are trying to infiltrate the Chechen police,'' said Gen. Manilov. ``The bandits can no longer stand up to Russian troops and are now using barbarous tactics in which civilians, including women and children, are the targets.''

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Section  : International
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