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Twelve Chechens, One Russian Killed Since Sunday
MOSCOW, June 18 (News Agency) - At least 12 separatists and one officer from Russia's FSB intelligence service have been killed in Chechnya since the weekend, the AVN military news agency reported Monday.
The FSB officer and two separatists were killed during an operation on Sunday by Russian forces at Argun, 15 kilometers (10 miles) east of Grozny, it said. AVN also reported that two members of the interior ministry's forces were wounded.
Western news agencies did not say if they verified the news with the Chechen separatists.
The FSB has been coordinating Russian operations against separatists in Chechnya since January, when it took over from the Russian army.
Two other Chechen rebel fighters were killed Monday morning after they opened fire on interior ministry troops during an identity check in Nizhnye Kurtaly in Southeastern Chechnya, according to the Russian forces headquarters in Northern Caucasus.
The same news source also reported that three other separatists were shot dead early Monday in Staraya Sunzha, in the Grozny suburbs, after they refused to surrender to Russian forces.
The ITAR-TASS news agency earlier reported that three Chechens, including two separatists, had been killed in two separate attacks against Russian troops and the local pro-Moscow police, but it was not clear whether these were included in the figures given by AVN.
Interfax reported that 30 separatists had been killed over the past week in Chechnya and nine arrested.
Though Russian forces have taken control of much of Chechnya, including Grozny, following a hard-fought campaign begun on October 1, 1999, armed separatists launch daily attacks on Russian soldiers and pro-Moscow administrators whom they consider traitors.
The Kremlin has so far refused offers to negotiate from Chechen Separatist President Aslan Maskhadov.
Two weeks ago Russia offered a million-dollar reward for the capture of Maskhadov and the two main Chechen military leaders, Shamil Basayev and Khattab.
The death penalty is still enforced in Russia, though a moratorium has been applied since 1996 following Russia's admission to the Council of Europe. But last month, Justice Minister Yury Chaika called for the moratorium to be suspended in the cases of what he called "terrorist actions."
Kalamanov, when speaking at the debate, admitted that allegations of abuses by federal troops serving in the war torn republic continued to be made, although less often since the troops began to withdraw.
Out of 138 complaints against Russian soldiers in Chechnya, 24 cases of abuse have gone to trial, and 11 troops have been punished with various sentences, Chechnya's military prosecutor Mikhail Kislitsyn said at the debate.
The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe and other international rights groups have repeatedly called for Russian authorities to prosecute federal troops charged with abuses in Chechnya since the beginning of the 20-month conflict.
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