World

Dagestan Rebels Pull Out

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

August 9, 1999 / 6:09 AM EDT / CBS

Signaling a possible victory for Moscow, Russian federal troops began moving into mountain villages in Dagestan on Tuesday after rebels who had held out for two weeks against a fierce assault said they had withdrawn.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. on Tuesday morning.

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.

Â"There is an order circulating on the Internet from (rebel leader Shamil) Basayev saying they have withdrawn, but it is still not confirmed.Â"

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. If confirmed, the pullout would likely be seen as a victory for the Kremlin and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who vowed to put down the revolt within days.

They had seized villages in the province on August 7 and had held out against Russian air and artillery strikes.

Dozens of rebels and Russian soldiers were killed in the fighting.

On Monday, a rebel spokesman said the pullout signaled the start of a "second phase" of their revolt, which would include measures aimed at overthrowing Dagestan's pro-Moscow regional government. He did not elaborate.

The stakes in the battle for Dagestan include a key Caspian Sea oil pipeline and fears that RussiaÂ's already-compromised federation will continue to fragment, reports CBS Radio NewsÂ' Phil Ittner.

RussiaÂ's battle for control of the Caucuses also has deep historical roots. Czar Peter the Great sent troops to conquer the region in the 18th century, but the largely Muslim area bordering the Middle East did not incorporate easily into Russia.

Despite MoscowÂ's efforts to change the regionÂ's ethnic balance, sporadic conflicts have flared ever since the Russians arrived. Even as Nazi troops parked outside Grozny, the republicÂ's capital, residents rebelled against RussiaÂ's rule. But the Red Army was determined to hang on to Chechen oilfields and the uprising was ruthlessly put down, with much of the population spending more than 20 years in Siberian exile.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Chechnya declared independence in a bid to follow breakaway Soviet Republics like Latvia, Ukraine and Georgia. But in 1994, Moscow launched a bloody war to stop the region Â– technically part of Russia - from splitting. After two years, it ended in an inconclusive cease-fire that humiliated the Kremlin. Ever since, ChechnyaÂ's status has remained undefined.

Two weeks ago, Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev led forces into neighboring Dagestan in an effort to Â"drive the unbeliever out.Â"

At nearly the same time, an unpredictable Boris Yeltsin fired his primminister and installed former KGB spy Vladimir Putin as prime minister. Before his confirmation Monday, analysts had predicted that Putin would intensify the fight against the rebels.