Russia says fighters killed in North Caucasus

Anti-terror body says raids involving both local and federal troops destroyed 90 bases across several
republics.



Russian officials are especially concerned about security on the frontier as they for the 2014 Winter Olympics [EPA]
Russian troops have reportedly killing 49 fighters in a massive security sweep that followed angry comments
from President Vladimir Putin about raging violence in the North Caucasus.
The National Anti-Terror Committee said on Sunday the operation was conducted across several republics of the
volatile Muslim region and resulted in the removal of some of the most "odious" guerrilla commanders and their
followers.

"The co-ordinated action helped terminate the activities of several odious gang leaders, gang members and their
associates, substantially damaging the system under which the bandits operate," the committee said in a statement.
Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow, said that the details around the operations were not very clear.
"There is only one source for the information that we have - that is the National Anti-Terror Committee. They released
a statement on Sunday morning, bit it was dated October 18, which means it was written a few days ago."
In the statement, the committee said the "large-scale and massive" raids involved both local and federal troops and
that 90 bases had been destroyed.
However, it gave no details about the timeframe for the operation or when it started.
"The incidents that it describes don't have a timeframe - this could have happened several days ago, or even several
weeks ago, or even going further than that," our correspondent said.
Putin's reprimand
Putin held a meeting on Friday on the North Caucasus in which he berated officials for failing to do enough to bring the
region under full control after it witnessed two post-Soviet wars for the independence of rebel Chechnya.
The region has since witnessed an armed movement that has focused most heavily on Chechnya's larger eastern10/22/12
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Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies
neighbour Dagestan and the tiny, poverty-wrecked republic of Ingushetia.
Russian officials are especially concerned about security on
the restless frontier as they prepare to stage the 2014
Winter Olympic Games in the Black Sea resort of Sochi,
near the border with ex-Soviet Georgia. Putin referred to the Winter Games and Russia's
subsequent plans to host the football World Cup in 2018 as reasons to keep a close eye on the problem.
"I would like to point out that a series of very major events, both sports-related and political, will soon be held in Russia," Putin told his most senior security advisers during  the meeting.
"It is a matter of honour for all law enforcement officials to ensure that these events are staged in a normal, businesslike and festive manner, so that nothing can put a pall over these events."
Putin did not specify what political events he had in mind. Russia held elections in March that saw the veteran leader
return to a third presidential term.
Security officials had last year announced uncovering a plot to attack Sochi during the Olympics that they linked to
guerrillas based not only in the North Caucasus but also Georgia, Russia's regional foe.
Officials in Georgia angrily denied the charges and accused Russia of trying to pin blame on them for their own
security problems.
Finger of suspicion
In its latest statement, the National Anti-Terror Committee statement listed a series of operations conducted in
Dagestan and other republics that resulted in the discovery of huge caches of arms and explosives.
It added that 30 people had been arrested while another 20 were "convinced" to appear at police stations voluntarily
and confess their involvement in rebel gangs.
Yunus-Bek Yevkurov, Ingushetia's president, published what he said was his personal mobile phone number that the
rebels could use to confess their past illegal activities and come clean.
"Today, you can all return home having repented for what you have done," the RIA Novosti news agency quoted
Yevkurov as saying.
"I promise everyone who comes in peace and gives themselves up that they will have all their rights protected."

(Meagan Solano)