NEW DELHI, October 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russian security forces geared up in advance for Thursday's militants' attack in the North Caucasus city of Nalchik, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Sunday.
Talking to reporters in the Indian capital, where he is supervising a joint anti-terrorist exercise, the Russian Defense Minister said the counter-operation, involving both local and regional security forces, had begun two days before pro-Chechen militants launched their attack on police and government targets in the city.
"It was even before the militants' attack on targets in Nalchik that the counter-operation began, so a Defense Ministry company was there as early as October 11 and managed to crush the first attack on the airport."
The minister said the security forces' prompt response had made the gunmen change their plans. "I'm sure they [the militants] did not plan to carry out their operation along these lines. It had to be spontaneous."
Ivanov also said that the attack had been perpetrated by militants from local clandestine groups rather than ones based outside Nalchik. "This wasn't a case of rebel incursion," he said.
