 |
|
Residents were fleeing in trucks and cars from the village of 6,000 inhabitants, which has 1,500 Chechen refugees living there
|
NEAR
GALASHKI, Russia, September 26 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) -
Russian warplanes bombed a village in the republic of Ingushetia
bordering Chechnya on Thursday, September 26, following fierce
fighting between Russian troops and Chechen fighters who killed eight
Russian soldiers and shot down a Russian Mi-24 military helicopter.
From
some five kilometers (three miles) outside the village, an Agence
France-Presse (AFP) correspondent saw a plane identified by local
residents as a Sukhoi SU-25 fly towards Galashki, heard the bombing
and then saw smoke rising from the scene.
Earlier,
Russian officials quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency reported that
eight Russian soldiers were killed and some 30 “rebels” killed or
wounded during clashes in Galashki with up to 300 Chechen fighters.
The
Chechen fighters early in the morning shot down a Russian Mi-24
military helicopter, killing its two crew members, near the village,
according to the Russian military and witnesses interviewed by AFP.
One
inhabitant of Galashki, Mariam Agapranova, was killed by gun shots,
according to witnesses who were not able to give further details. An
ambulance evacuated two wounded civilian men.
Reinforcements
were being rushed to the village, with military jeeps and armored
personnel carriers driving towards Galashki carrying Russian special
forces, said the AFP correspondent, who was at a military checkpoint
outside.
Residents
were fleeing in trucks and cars from the village of 6,000 inhabitants,
which has 1,500 Chechen refugees living there and lies some 20
kilometers (12 miles) from the border with Chechnya.
A
Chechen refugee who fled Galashki, and who gave his name only as
Aslan, said that in the village “there are shots everywhere, but the
rebels had already left.”
“I
haven’t seen such fighting for two years,” he added.
According
to a woman who left the village, the fighting started on Sunday in the
area.
“Around
four o’clock in the morning, the shooting became more intense and we
were told to leave,” she said.
According
to the Russian military, the Chechen fighters involved in the fighting
are commanded by warlord Ruslan Gelayev, who was previously based in
Georgia’s Pankisi Gorge neighboring Chechnya.
Gelayev
and his men are said to have crossed the border from Georgia around
the middle of September.
Moscow
accuses Georgia of not cracking down on Chechen fighters, and claims
they have been using the lawless gorge region as a base for attacks on
Russia soldiers in Chechnya.
With
the threat of a U.S. military attack against Iraq mounting, some fear
that Washington is turning a blind eye to a brutal Russian crackdown
on Chechen independence fighters’ bases in neighboring Georgia in
exchange for Moscow not opposing an attack against its traditional
Middle Eastern ally, Iraq.
The
Chechnya tragedy started during the Soviet era, when Stalin, in order
to maintain power and to avoid being overthrown “by external powers
manipulating internal ethnic groups”, was brutal in his control of
the Chechen people.
The
Chechens therefore actually said they would welcome Germany if they
recognized an independent Chechnya. This led to a mass deportation and
relocation of Chechen people (and others) to Kazakhstan and Siberia.
Around
800,000 people are said to have been relocated this way. Perhaps
100,000 or more of these people died due to the extreme conditions.
Chechnya
later declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet
Union. The 1994-96 war left 80,000 casualties. The Russian assault
devastated Grozny and other parts of Chechnya.
However,
the Chechens defeated Russia, revealing how poor Russian military
capabilities were. Earlier in 1999, the Islamic uprising in the
neighboring Dagestan region of Russia resulted in accusations by
Moscow that Chechen government forces supported a Dagestan rebellion.
While
this was denied, Chechen fighters (that are not controlled by the
central government) supported the Islamic uprising in Dagestan. This
incursion led to a conflict with Russian forces that defeated the
Chechens.
Following
the Chechen defeat in Dagestan, Moscow suffered bomb blasts believed
to be by various independence activists (although never proven). This
has also led to a rise in Russia of racist sentiments against people
mainly from the Caucasus regions.
Russia
is now engaged in a full-scale war with Chechnya. There have been many
reports of bombing raids by Russian forces and over 200,000 people are
said to have fled from Chechnya.
Grozny
and other parts of Chechnya are being pounded and destroyed. Once
more, the civilian population is caught in the middle. Civilian
casualties have been high and there has been international outcry at
the brutal Russian crackdown and indiscriminate bombing and targeting
of civilians.
The
Russian troops have been looting and burning homes and buildings, even
executing those who resist.
On
April 20, 2000, Chechen President, Ashlan Mashkadov, made a ceasefire
offer. However, Russian demands have been stern, which triggered more
attacks and increased warfare by the Chechen combatants, indicating
that the conflict is far from over.
As
Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported in April 2001, “the U.N.
Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution on Chechnya that
condemned serious human rights violations by Russian forces, and
raised concern about forced disappearances, torture, and summary
executions.”
