Russian Troops Comb Dagestan Villages

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian federal troops began moving into mountain villages in Dagestan on Tuesday after rebels who had held out for two weeks against a fierce Russian assault said they had withdrawn. A spokesman for the regional Security Council said three villages, Tando, Rakhata and Ashino, had already been occupied by Russian forces by 10 a.m. (0600 GMT). He said only two villages, Ansalta and Shodroda, remained to be taken, but Russia was still not yet certain that the rebels had pulled out as they claimed. „There is an order circulating on the Internet from (a rebel leader Shamil) Basayev saying they have withdrawn, but it is still not confirmed.“ A spokesman for the Defence Ministry in the regional capital Makhachkala declined to comment on whether the rebels could have managed to escape. The military have fulfilled their task of smashing rebel defences and the Interior Ministry troops are now combing the villages for any remaining rebels, he said. „At the moment it is very hard to get a clear picture. After two weeks of bombing the village of Tando, for example, has been wiped off the face of the earth, there is nothing left of it,“ he said. „The rebels there were hiding out in caves. Those were shredded by multiple rocket launchers and caved in. How can you tell whether there is anyone inside now?“ But he said that at least two mass graves have been found in the village of Tando alone, testifying to what he said were heavy casualties among the Islamic fighters. The rebels, led by Chechen warlords, said on Monday they were pulling out of their positions in Dagestan, apparently bringing to an end Russia‘s worst security crisis since the 1994-96 Chechen war. They had seized villages in the province on August 7 and had held out against Russian air and artillery strikes. The Defence Ministry spokesman said that all fighting had ceased and the place was quiet except for some rare exchanges of gunfire. The rebels‘ announcement of a withdrawal could mark an important victory for Russia‘s new Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who said exactly two weeks ago that he would crush the revolt within two weeks. He came to office three days into the rebellion, which his predecessor had said could break Dagestan from Russia if it were mishandled. Putin met Russia‘s armed forces chief-of-staff Anatoly Kvashnin on Tuesday to discuss the situation in Dagestan, a spokeswoman for the prime minister said. The revolt brought a steady stream of shocking images of war to Russian television for the first time since the Chechen conflict. It raised painful questions about the federal government‘s ability to maintain peace and stability in the eight republics of the troubled North Caucasus. Russian officials had vowed to destroy the rebels completely, and if many guerrillas have instead managed to withdraw safely, some in Moscow may see this as a defeat. Russian officials said they believed they had killed hundreds of rebels. The rebels said only 41 of them had died. Between 40 and 50 Russian troops died, mostly in failed attempts to storm rebel positions in Tando, according to official figures.