MOSCOW, September 27 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Chechen independence fighters accused Russia Friday, September 27, of seeking to broaden the conflict in the Caucasus in order to mask its failure to suppress resistance in Chechnya.

The fighting in Ingushetia, the republic bordering Chechnya where up to 20 Russian soldiers and dozens of Chechen fighters died Thursday, September 26, was provoked by Russian troops and reflects a Kremlin policy in the Caucasus of divide and rule, Akhmed Zakayev, Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov’s representative, said in a press interview Friday.

"The separatist leadership is not seeking to broaden the armed conflict. We have warned on numerous occasions that it would be difficult to contain the conflict within Chechnya's border," Zakayev told the business daily Kommersant, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Earlier Friday, Russian forces resumed attacks against Chechen fighters scattered throughout a forest in eastern Ingushetia, the scene of intense fighting the previous day.

The troops kept up bombardments on Chechen fighters’ positions overnight and launched mopping-up operations at daybreak, Russian media quoted military sources as saying.

"Helicopters located camp fires where the fighters were warming themselves. These were immediately bombarded," Interfax news agency quoted an official as saying.

NTV television said the Chechen fighters attempted unsuccessfully overnight to cross the mountains that separate Chechnya from Ingushetia.

Fierce fighting on Thursday forced hundreds of civilians to flee the Ingush village of Galashki, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Chechen border, as Russian warplanes and artillery pounded the independence fighters.

The Russian attack caused many casualties, including civilians.

Among the dead was a British freelance television reporter, 31-year-old Roddy Scott.

Russian military sources said dozens of Chechen fighters and up to 20 Russian soldiers were killed, including two crew members of a Mi-24 helicopter shot down at Galashki.

Moscow accuses Georgia of not cracking down on Chechen fighters, and claims they have been using the lawless gorge region as a base for attacks on Russian soldiers in Chechnya.

With the threat of a U.S. military attack against Iraq mounting, some fear that Washington is turning a blind eye to a brutal Russian crackdown on Chechen independence fighters’ bases in neighboring Georgia in exchange for Moscow not opposing an attack against its traditional Middle Eastern ally, Iraq.

Russia, which has criticized U.S. threats to Iraq, is seen as a key player because it has the power to veto decisions within the U.N. Security Council.

The Chechnya tragedy started during the Soviet era, when Stalin, in order to maintain power and to avoid being overthrown “by external powers manipulating internal ethnic groups”, was brutal in his control of the Chechen people.

The Chechens therefore actually said they would welcome Germany if they recognized an independent Chechnya. This led to a mass deportation and relocation of Chechen people (and others) to Kazakhstan and Siberia.

Around 800,000 people are said to have been relocated this way. Perhaps 100,000 or more of these people died due to the extreme conditions.

A Russian officer looks at the bodies of Chechen fighters killed in the combat near Galashki

Chechnya later declared independence in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The 1994-96 war left 80,000 casualties. The Russian assault devastated Grozny and other parts of Chechnya.

However, the Chechens defeated Russia, revealing how poor Russian military capabilities were. Earlier in 1999, the Islamic uprising in the neighboring Dagestan region of Russia resulted in accusations by Moscow that Chechen government forces supported a Dagestan rebellion.

While this was denied, Chechen fighters (that are not controlled by the central government) supported the Islamic uprising in Dagestan. This incursion led to a conflict with Russian forces that defeated the Chechens.

Following the Chechen defeat in Dagestan, Moscow suffered bomb blasts believed to be by various independence activists (although never proven). This has also led to a rise in Russia of racist sentiments against people mainly from the Caucasus regions.

Russia is now engaged in a full-scale war with Chechnya. There have been many reports of bombing raids by Russian forces and over 200,000 people are said to have fled from Chechnya.

Grozny and other parts of Chechnya are being pounded and destroyed. Once more, the civilian population is caught in the middle. Civilian casualties have been high and there has been international outcry at the brutal Russian crackdown and indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians.

The Russian troops have been looting and burning homes and buildings, even executing those who resist.

On April 20, 2000, Chechen President, Ashlan Mashkadov, made a ceasefire offer. However, Russian demands have been stern, which triggered more attacks and increased warfare by the Chechen combatants, indicating that the conflict is far from over.

As Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported in April 2001, “the U.N. Commission on Human Rights adopted a resolution on Chechnya that condemned serious human rights violations by Russian forces, and raised concern about forced disappearances, torture, and summary executions.”