Chechen Militant Leaders Are Still In Chechnya

Chechen separatist leaders Khattab, Maskhadov and Basayev are still in Chechnya, Colonel General Nikolai Kormiltsev, Russia's Deputy Defence Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces, told journalists on Wednesday. "Not all militant leaders are currently in Chechnya but now and then they turn up there," said Kormiltsev, who identified the priority task of the federal forces as "capturing all of the militant leaders." "We are informed about their movements, but unfortunately this information comes with a two or three hours delay," he said.