Two militants suspected of terrorist activities along federal highway Rostov-Baku detained in Chechnya

Two militants suspected of terrorist activities along the federal highway Rostov-Baku were detained during a special operation conducted yesterday in the Chechen capital, report sources in the Chechen Interior Ministry.

"Operatives from the Staropromyslovsky district department of interior affairs, together with Interior Ministry troops, apprehended two militants who conducted several terrorist acts along the federal highway Rostov-Baku and in various localities on the Chechen territory in 2002-2003," said an Interior Ministry spokesperson. The investigation is under way.

Sources in the Interior Ministry also reported that five bandit bases and five caches with weapons and ammunition have been recently destroyed in Chechnya. "Operatives seized 47 grenade-launcher rounds, 17 artillery shells and mines, 13 hand grenades, 700 grams of explosives and more than 2,200 live cartridges," they specified.

In addition, the police destroyed nine gasoline-producing mini-factories, seizing 33 tons of illegally produced fuel.