More than 300 intelligence officers killed in Chechen war: official

MOSCOW (AFP) Jul 16, 2003
More than 300 Russian military intelligence officers have died in Chechnya since war broke out with separatist rebels in October 1999, the department's chief said in an interview published Wednesday.

"The actual losses are quite high -- more than 300 men," General Valentin Korabelnikov told the Izvestiya daily.

Korabelnikov heads the Main Intelligence Administration (GRU), the Russian defense ministry's intelligence arm. Its agents take part in combat along with special forces and also scour the southern region of the mountainous republic for rebel bases.

The Kremlin launched the Chechen conflict as a lightening "anti-terror" strike to shut down rebel bases, but it has since degenerated into guerrilla-style warfare.

The Russian army said late last year that around 4,700 troops have died since the start of the offensive. Rights groups believe the real number is at least double the official figure.

Both federal forces and separatist rebels continue to experience almost daily casualities despite the Kremlin's declaration that the war is over and efforts to bring peace through devolving power to the republic.

WAR.WIRE