Chechnya outlaws wearing of masks

Alkhanov said police had nothing to fear by showing their faces

Security forces in Russia's war-torn region of Chechnya have been ordered to shoot dead anyone wearing a mask in towns after a bloody raid by rebels.

Interior Minister Alu Alkhanov gave the order days after gunmen posing as police reportedly killed scores of people in the capital, Grozny.

The man tipped as Chechnya's next leader called for strict compliance.

Security forces in Chechnya and Russia regularly don balaclavas during anti-crime operations.

The population can't understand who they are dealing with, law enforcement officers or bandits Alu Alkhanov Chechen interior minister

However, Mr Alkhanov, the leading candidate in Chechnya's presidential election on Sunday, said they had no reason to cover their faces.

"Law and order personnel have no business hiding their faces if they are acting lawfully," he said on Thursday.

"The order has been issued and I will demand its strict observance, irrespective of who is observed wearing a mask."

Fake checkpoints

A Russian military spokesman told the BBC that groups of fighters, many dressed as policemen, penetrated 12 parts of Grozny last Saturday night before launching attacks on a market and a police station.

According to Russian press reports, masked gunmen also mounted fake checkpoints, shooting dead anyone they stopped who was carrying security force ID.

Residents said people had stopped at the checkpoints since the rebels looked the same as regular police.

Unconfirmed reports speak of at least 70 killed.

Mr Alkhanov said most crimes were "committed by people who hide their faces behind masks and the population can't understand who they are dealing with, law enforcement officers or bandits".