57 Killed In Russian Border Attack

[CShine]

CHERMEN, Russia - Thousands of troops poured into a southern Russian city Tuesday, chasing Chechen rebels who set fire to police and government buildings in coordinated attacks that killed at least 57 people, officials said.

The dead included 47 law enforcement officers or officials, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported, citing Beslan Khamkoyev, acting interior minister of the republic of Ingushetia. A U.N. humanitarian worker was among the dead, authorities said, as were three high-ranking regional officials.

Late Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to Ingushetia where he told its president, Murat Zyazkikov, that the search for the attackers must go on "as long as necessary." In remarks shown on Russian television, Putin thanked those who fought off the attackers and "did not allow the bandits to achieve their goals."

The attacks underscored the Russian military's failure to defeat separatists in neighboring Chechnya after five years of fighting, and raised new fears of spreading violence in southern Russia.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=518&ncid=721&e=6&u=/ap/20040622/ap_on_re_eu/russia_attack

[Aidoneus]

1. Not merely Chechen as is suggested

I am told this was rather a mainly Ingush operation with some support, as the latest in a growing line in Ingush 'seperatist' feelings (there is a lot of water under that bridge as well, and it has not been helped by the actions of Putin's army there too).

Putin is going to have a very bad summer.