Russia lifts security regime in Chechnya

WATCH VIDEO

Source: CCTV.com | 04-17-2009 13:57

Russia has lifted tight security restrictions which have been in force in Chechnya for 10 years.

The move is a bid to bolster the authority of the region's Kremlin-backed leader.

Young people dance celebrating the cancellation of the counterterrorism regime in Chechnya, in the regional capital Grozny, Chechnya, Thursday, April 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev)

Residents of Chechnya's newly rebuilt capital, Grozny, cheered and waved Russian and Chechen flags after news spread that Moscow was ending counter-terrorist operations.

Curfews, roadblocks, spot searches and arbitrary detention were imposed in Chechnya in 1999, when Russia sent soldiers into the region to end its short-lived independence.

Russian officials said 20-thousand policemen and Interior Ministry troops would withdraw from the region.