RUSSIAN GENERAL: NEARLY ALL WARLORDS OF MAJOR ARMED GROUPS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED IN CHECHNYA

MOSCOW, March 4 (RIA Novosti ) - Russian federal forces have destroyed nearly all bandits' warlords in Chechnya, Vyacheslav Tikhomirov, Commander of interior troops of the Russian Ministry of the Interior, said. He made this statement in connection to the recent liquidation of Ruslan Gilayev, one of the most famous Chechen separatist field commanders, killed on February 28 near the Georgian border.

However, according to the General, acts of terrorism, hostage-taking and kidnapping are still registered in Chechnya. Interior troops units are fulfilling their main service and combat tasks along Chechnya's administrative border with other subjects of the Russian Federation and in Chechen flatland areas, where 15 military commandants' offices were established. The tasks of the interior troops include maintenance of security and civic order in the republic, together pinpoint special operations, Tikhomirov informed.

According to him, this brings positive results and a steady progress is obvious.

The Commander of the Russian interior troops also touched upon the issue of transferring anti-terrorist functions in Chechnya to the Republic's Interior Ministry. According to the general, this question was discussed a week and a half ago at the meeting of the Regional Operations Staff in charge of the anti-terrorist operation at the North Caucasus, and all the participants agreed that there were no limitations for Chechnya's Interior Ministry in their struggle against terrorism.