Moscow, Oct 28: President Vladimir Putin said on Monday he will give the Russian military broader power to strike against suspected terrorists because of what he called the growing threat they could use powerful weapons, the Interfax news agency reported. Putin told Cabinet officials he would orders the Russian general staff to change its guidelines on the use of military forces "in connection with the growing threat of international terrorism with the use of means comparable to weapons of mass destruction," Interfax said.

Putin spoke a day after Russian special forces stormed a Moscow theatre seized by heavily armed Chechen rebels, killing 50 of the attackers after releasing gas that led to the death of 116 of the more than 750 hostages.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

"Russia will not ... give in to any blackmail," Interfax quoted Putin as saying.

"International terrorism is becoming bolder, acting more cruelly, and here and there around the world threats of the use of means comparable to weapons of mass destruction are heard," Putin said. He did not specify what type of weapons he was referring to.

"If anyone even tried to use such means in relation to our country, Russia will answer with measures adequate to the threats, in all places where there are terrorists, organisations of these criminals or their ideological or financial sponsors," he said. Bureau Report