Russia ends Chechen counterterrorism operation

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Russia ends Chechen counterterrorism operation

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17 April,2009 11:30 am

Chechens danced in the streets and waved flags to celebrate Russia's decisionto end its decade long counter terrorism operation in the war-weary southern region. The order by President Dmitry Medvedev paves the way for the withdrawal of tens of thousands of federal troops, whose presence has been hugely unpopular amid allegations of widespread abuses against civilians. The counterterrorism operation launched at the start of the second of two separatist wars that have battered the region in the last 15 years involved curfews and limits on civilian air flights and limited access for journalists, among other measures. Its cancellation boosted the authority of the region's Kremlin-backed President Ramzan Kadyrov, who joined several thousand people Thursday in dancing in a square in central Grozny.