543 Acts of Terrorism Committed in Chechnya in 2003

Grozny, the capital of Chechnya is still the center of the subversive activity
Chechnya Interior Minister Aly Alkhanov says that 543 crimes related to terrorist activity were committed on the territory of the republic over 2003; at that the number of terrorist acts in Chechnya made up 351 a year ago.

Alu Alkhanov says: "The number of terrorist crimes is still rather high. Grozny, the capital of Chechnya is still the center of the subversive activity. About half of the terrorist acts registered in Chechnya were committed in Grozny." The interior minister reports that acts of terrorism have been registered in other districts of the republic as well. Almost every act of terrorism is directed against authority executives and law enforcement officers. As a result of terrorist acts, 140 police officials were tragically killed, 266 wounded and 11 people are missing.

RIA Novosti quoted the Chechen interior minister as saying that the Interior Ministry and the FSB have developed a joint plan on counteraction to terrorism and extremism. Alu Alkhanov adds that joint operations conducted in 2003 resulted in disclosing of over 60 acts of terrorism, which is in general higher as compared with 2002.

At the same time, the minister stresses that not a single act of terrorism has been disclosed in some parts of the republic.