Rebels hunt for heads of district administrations

Three people were killed in a landmine explosion in the Achkhoy-Martan district of Chechnya on July 25, the head of the Samashki village administration being among them, a source in the Chechen Interior Ministry told the Caucasian Knot correspondent.

The incident reportedly occurred yesterday, at about 3 p.m. "Yesterday, at about 2:30 p.m. local time, an unidentified self-made explosive device went off in the vicinity of the village of Samashki killing Khizir Aldamov, head of this settlement, Dudayev, a local man who worked at a tinned food factory, and Dadayev, Aldamov's security guard. Another local man was injured and taken to hospital. Later, combat engineers neutralized one more self-made landmine not far from the site of occurrence," the police officer said.

As it has become known, the head of the Samashki village along with a group of workers, numbering 15 people, was cleaning the Sunzha River. Policemen believe this action was organized by rebels of field commander Nasipov. This group is stationed in forests in the vicinity of Samashki.

It has also become known today that an attempt on the life of the head of the village of Stariye Atagi, Chechnya's Shali district, has been made. One man was injured, the village administrator did not suffer. Rebels shelled the house of the local administrator, Vakha Budayev, from underbarrel grenade-launchers, reported the Itar-Tass news agency. Lieutenant Aslan Muskayev, who was injured, was given medical care immediately.

Earlier, unknown people fired grenades at the building of the Chechen-Aul village administration, Chechnya's Grozny (rural) district.