10 Army officers killed in Chechen attack

By Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW, SEPTEMBER 17. Chechen rebels have launched their largest offensive in months on Russian forces in the region, attacking Chechnya's second biggest town and shooting down a Russian helicopter with senior Army officers onboard.

Russian television reported a massive attack on Gudermes on Monday, with scores of guerrillas engaging federal police forces in the town. Moscow's chief spokesman on Chechnya, Mr. Sergei Yastrzhembsky, said 10 Russian troopers had been killed and 20 wounded. Meanwhile, a rebel spokesman said Gudermes had been captured by Chechen militants.

On the same day, a Russian helicopter was shot down in the Chechen capital, Grozny, killing two Generals and eight Colonels from the Russian General Staff. Simultaneously, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-packed truck into the house of a local administration head in Argun, the third largest town in Chechnya. A rebel spokesman also said a Russian armoured convoy had been attacked in the breakaway region.

``The attacks show that rebels still have central command and are capable of launching coordinated attacks,'' the NTV television said.

AP reports:

The rebels fired a portable surface-to-air missile on the Mi-8 helicopter after it took off from the Chechen capital Grozny, the Russian military commander in Chechnya, Col. Gen. Valery Baranov, said on Russia's state RTR television.

Monday's events followed two mine attacks on Russian troops on Sunday.

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Section  : International
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