Terrorists used Chechen tactics in Mumbai: Medvedev's envoy

Moscow, Nov 29 (UNI) Terrorists in Mumbai have used the same tactics that Chechen field commanders employed in the Northern Caucasus, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's envoy on counter-terrorism Anatoly Safonov said.

In 1990s, Chechen terrorists seized homes and hospitals and took numerous hostages, in towns, in North Caucasus.

''These tactics were used during raids by militant Chechen field commanders Shamil Basayev and Salman Raduyev against the towns of Buddyonnovsk and Pervomaiskoye. For the first time in history the entire towns were terrorized, with homes and hospitals seized,'' Safonov told Interfax news agency.

The Mumbai terrorists have learned these tactics well, he said said, adding the terror in Mumbai is proof that the anti-terror measures on a regional level are insufficient.

The world is spending enormous resources to fight nonexistent threats and to support the military adventures of the leaders of certain countries. And it turns out that a big city may be unprotected against the raid of a handful of terrorists. This is another warning that in the global world terrorism truly remains the greatest challenge,'' Mr Safonov said.

He also pointed out that now it is the task of Indian special services to track down the terrorist group behind the deadly attacks on Mumbai.

''They would need to determine whether it was a subsidiary of some prominent terrorist organisation,'' he noted.

He also expressed the hope the Russian-Indian working group on combating terrorism will meet in the near future.

We express our support and condolences to the people of India and sympathise with the families that lost relatives and dear ones in the terrorist attack in Mumbai, the envoy said.

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