15.08.2003, 21:20
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Zitat:5 Russian soldiers die in mine blast in Chechnya, Interior Ministry says
MOSCOW (AP) - A remote mine allegedly triggered by Chechen rebels killed five Russian soldiers Friday while troops were conducting a search operation in the breakaway republic, the Interior Ministry said Friday.
The radio-controlled mine was detonated in the Vedeno region of southern Chechnya when an armoured personnel carrier full of Interior Ministry troops rolled over the explosive device. The soldiers were killed immediately by the force of the blast, the ministry said. Five others were wounded.
The Interior Ministry said it had stepped up control of its operations in Chechnya.
Russian forces withdrew from Chechnya in 1996 after a devastating 20-month war, leaving separatists in control. The Russians returned in September 1999 after Chechnya-based insurgents mounted incursions into neighbouring Dagestan and after some 300 people died in apartment explosions that authorities blamed on the rebels.
Attacks by rebels against Russian forces occur daily, and the Russians have been accused of brutal treatment of Chechens, especially civilians.
The Russian government hopes that presidential elections this fall in the republic will bring political stability. However, the rebels have given no indication they intend to stop their efforts to drive the Russians out of Chechnya.