That stopped his team from entering Chechnya.

Years later the Russian authorities arrested him as he tried to enter Chechnya without a visa.

For the first time, Russian special forces units conducted thorough searches of all cars and people entering Chechnya from Dagestan.

Since Russian forces entered Chechnya on Oct. 1, more than 1,000 soldiers have been killed and almost 3,400 wounded.

In 1994, when federal troops entered Chechnya, Hozha took part in the defense of Grozny.

Four months after Russian forces entered Chechnya, much of the Kremlin decision making is still shrouded in secrecy.

He then tried to enter Chechnya but was forced to turn back.

These Saudis then decided to travel to Afghanistan, where they could train and wait to make another attempt to enter Chechnya during the summer of 2000.

He said Halo Trust entered Chechnya openly in 1997, after the first Chechen war ended and before the current conflict began.

In the last few days, Interior Ministry troops have fired warning shots at reporters and camera crews seeking to enter Chechnya.