The head of the Russian North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, demanded on Wednesday that law-enforcement bodies step up activities to hunt down and neutralize militant leaders.
"Operative work should be reinforced. Special operations are impossible without that. These gophers must be smoked out of their holes," Kadyrov said at a meeting with law enforcement agencies.
He added, however, that the most important thing is to "save the lives of law enforcement officers."
Sporadic terrorist attacks and militant clashes are common in Russia's largely Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.
The Kremlin has pledged to wage "a ruthless fight" against militant groups but also acknowledged a need to tackle unemployment, organized crime, clan rivalry and corruption as causes of the ongoing violence in the region.
MOSCOW, September 22 (RIA Novosti)
