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Monday, 3 July, 2000, 13:51 GMT 14:51 UK
Analysis: Chechen bombers haunt Russians
Interior troops from St Petersburg leave for a tour of duty in Chechnya
By BBC News Online's Stephen Mulvey
Suicide bombings are a new tactic for Chechen guerrillas, but one which they have quickly learned to use to deadly effect.
Terrified Russian servicemen responded with wild and apparently random bursts of fire on residential areas. The incident underlines the predicament of the Russian troops, as they attempt to garrison a republic where the local population, or a large part of it, remains resolutely hostile. No safety Enemies can emerge from nowhere, and just as quickly melt back into their surroundings.
People who are prepared to die for the national cause, or for Islam, can do even more damage - and there is little Moscow can do to stop them. Russian troops are constantly aware that the guerrillas remain a formidable enemy in some parts of the southern mountains, but two of Sunday's attacks occurred near the heart of the Russian operation in Chechnya - in Argun, just outside the capital, Grozny, and in Gudermes, the home of the pro-Moscow Chechen administration. New threats
They are already tied down by strict convoy instructions when they move about: troops must not travel in small numbers, or without armed support, nor may they travel at night or in bad weather when close air support is impossible. Nonetheless, Russian deaths from ambushes, and increasingly mines, continue in a steady trickle. Warlords have also issued worrying threats to start attacking Russian civilian targets. Policing Meanwhile, Russian politicians insist that things in Chechnya are going smoothly.
The guerrillas' resources were practically exhausted, he said, adding that they they had switched to the tactics of separate terrorist acts, and that more and more Chechens were deciding to co-operate with the new pro-Moscow administration. In accordance with this cautiously optimistic outlook, Moscow has been steadily withdrawing troops since April, as part of what it sees as an eventual transformation from a military to a policing operation. Support dwindles This approach assumes that the pared-down military garrison will be strong enough to continue wearing down the rebels, and reducing their effectiveness.
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