By Country / Russia
Chechen President: Russians Involved In Kidnappings
June 06, 2005
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6 June 2005 -- Chechnya's pro-Moscow President Alu Alkhanov said on 6 June that Russian forces are involved in 5-10 percent of all kidnappings in the region.
Alkhanov also said and that 23 people have gone missing in Chechnya so far this year but he said that abductions are declining in the war-shattered region.
Abductions are common in Chechnya, which has seen two wars in just over a decade. Rights groups regularly accuse Russian troops, local security forces, and Chechen separatist fighters for the disappearances.
Moscow says the situation in the breakaway republic is "stabilizing."
Thousands of Russian military forces remain in Chechnya, however, clashing with Chechen guerrillas and suspected foreign Islamic fighters on an almost daily basis.
(AP/Interfax)