DATE=9/10/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=RUSSIA / DAGESTAN (L-ONLY)
NUMBER=2-253707
BYLINE=EVE CONANT
DATELINE=MOSCOW
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Russian troops captured one of several
villages in Dagestan seized last Sunday by Islamic
militants. V-O-A Moscow correspondent Eve Conant
reports heavy fighting continues in other villages
held by insurgents in Russia's southern Caucasus
region.
TEXT: Russian forces have regained control of the
village of Gamiyakh in western Dagestan, pushing ahead
in their efforts to rid the region of Islamic
insurgents. Hundreds of gunmen crossed into Dagestan
from neighboring Chechnya on Sunday and seized control
of several villages.
A spokesman for Dagestan's Interior Ministry said the
village had been cleared of fighters. He added that a
clean-up operation was underway to drive snipers out
of nearby mountains.
Interior Ministry officials say Russian troops are
also making progress in the Karamakhi region, but news
agencies report that Russian forces were driven back
by the militants. The militants are believed to be
well armed and still hold several villages in central
and southern Dagestan. Russia's Prime Minister,
Vladimir Putin, says the insurgents are supported by
international mercenaries.
Russian forces have been ordered to rid Dagestan of
the militants quickly, but many troops have complained
they lack the arms and manpower to do so.
On Friday, Prime Minister Putin urged Russians to, as
he put it, "not become hysterical" over the Russian
military's difficulty in quickly routing the
militants. He said government troops were acting
"according to plan" to rid southern Russia of the
insurgents. (Signed)
NEB/EC/GE/JO
10-Sep-1999 14:59 PM EDT (10-Sep-1999 1859 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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