CHECHEN FIELD COMMANDERS VOTE TO DISBAND ALL UNITS THAT DO NOT JOIN REGULAR ARMY.

Meeting yesterday in Djohar-gala, Chechen field commanders resolved to disband all detachments of Chechen fighters that have not become part of Chechnya’s 2,000-man regular army. All Chechen field commanders, including Salman Raduev, were reported to have taken part in this meeting. (Interfax, NTV, March 16) The decision will be welcome news for President Maskhadov, since it will allow him to disband the Raduev-led "Army of Djohar Dudaev." During the war, many armed detachments were only nominally subordinate to Maskhadov, who was then chief-of-staff. After the war, they became one of Maskhadov’s biggest headaches, and Raduev has been the biggest of them all. He refused to acknowledge Maskhadov’s election as president, insisting that Dudaev was still alive, and he threatened to continue the war against Russia by carrying out terrorist acts in three Russian cities.

Red Conclave in Minsk.