Russia ends anti-terror operations in Chechnya

September 10th, 2009 European envoy asks Russia about NGO killingMOSCOW — The Council of Europe's commissioner on human rights says Russia must prosecute the killers of a human rights activist in Chechnya this year, if it is to break a cycle of violence in the region. Thomas Hammarberg said Thursday that bringing the killers of Natalya Estemirova to justice will help dissipate the atmosphere of impunity that pervades Russia's violent southern fringe.

September 5th, 2009 Officials: 5 rebels shot dead in southern RussiaNAZRAN, Russia — Authorities in Russia's North Caucasus region have shot dead five insurgents — one of whom was wanted for organizing a failed assassination attempt on Ingushetia's leader, and two of whom may have been planning a terrorist act in Moscow, officials said Saturday. Security officers in Ingushetia stopped a car near the capital late Friday, Domir Rossin, head of the local Federal Security Service branch, told The Associated Press.

August 16th, 2009 Chavez: Venezuela to strengthen ties with alliesCARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez says Venezuela's ties with nations like Russia and China have gained importance as the U.S. moves to expand its military presence in Latin America.

July 17th, 2009 MOSCOW - The sports and tourism minister of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia was killed when some gunmen attacked his car Friday morning, authorities said. The vehicle carrying Ruslan Balayev and his driver was fired at in the village of Sredniye Achaluki, leaving both of them dead on the scene, Interfax quoted an interior official as saying.

July 15th, 2009 Russian activist abducted in Chechnya found deadMOSCOW — A prominent Russian activist who investigated abductions, killings and other rights abuses in Chechnya was found killed Wednesday, hours after being kidnapped in the Chechen capital, police officials and her organization said. Natalya Estemirova's body was found in Ingushetia, which borders Chechnya to the west, Oleg Orlov, the chairman of Memorial, her rights group, told The Associated Press.

July 15th, 2009 Russian group says activist abducted in ChechnyaMOSCOW — A prominent Russian human rights group says its leading activist in Chechnya has been kidnapped. Memorial chairman Oleg Orlov says that four men forced Natalya Estemirova into a car in the Chechen capital, Grozny, early Wednesday.

July 15th, 2009 Reports: Russian activist found dead in ChechnyaMOSCOW — Russian news agencies are reporting that a prominent rights activist has been found dead, hours after being kidnapped in Chechnya. ITAR-Tass and Interfax quote unidentified police officials as saying that Natalya Estemirova's body was found in Ingushetia, a region that borders Chechnya to the west.

July 6th, 2009 Deere says it's prepared to expand in RussiaMOLINE, Ill. — Deere & Co.

June 11th, 2009 Kremlin wants closer US-Russian anti-terror tiesMOSCOW — A top Kremlin official said Thursday that Russia is ready to expand cooperation with the United States in combating international terrorism. Anatoly Safonov, the Kremlin's top envoy on the issue, said President Barack Obama's visit to Russia in early July should help boost joint U.S.-Russian efforts to combat terrorism and prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

May 2nd, 2009 HYDERABAD - An Indian policeman-turned-terror suspect who allegedly participated in fighting in Iraq and Chechnya has been arrested by police here. Mohammed Nisar, an alleged agent of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was Saturday produced before a city court, which sent him to judicial custody for two weeks.

April 5th, 2009 STRASBOURG - The leaders of NATO member states have agreed to relaunch talks with Russia in the framework of the NATO-Russia Council (NRC), suspended by the alliance unilaterally after the Russia-Georgia military conflict. 'Despite our current disagreements, Russia is of particular importance to us as a partner and neighbor,' they said in a declaration issued at a two-day summit marking the 60th anniversary of the bloc here Saturday.

March 31st, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia's National Anti-Terrorist Committee Tuesday decided to end its operations in Chechnya, the North Caucasus republic's president said. The committee, at a meeting here, decided to formally end the campaign and begin the withdrawal of around 20,000 Russian troops from the republic.

January 11th, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh has set up an Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) to counter any Mumbai-like terrorist strike in the state. 'ATS came into existence Jan 10.

January 2nd, 2009 RAIPUR - Chhattisgarh, the country's worst Maoist insurgency-affected state, plans to raise an anti-terrorism squad by training 1,000 policemen to tackle terrorists, the state police chief said here Saturday. 'We have decided to convert state police's third battalion into an anti-terrorism squad (ATS) that will be purely used to tackle terror attacks,' Vishwa Ranjan, the director general of police (DGP), told IANS.

December 27th, 2008 MOSCOW - Twelve militants, including a warlord, were killed in a security sweep in Russia's Ingushetia republic, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said Sunday. The security action was part of an operation conducted from Dec 23-25 near the border with Chechnya, the FSB said.