ANDRIA HALL, CNN ANCHOR: In Chechnya, Russian warplanes dropped more bombs Sunday on Grozny. Russian officials say 120 rebels were killed throughout the breakaway republic this weekend. The rebels reported no losses but said at least 18 civilians were killed in Grozny. Also on Sunday, Afghanistan became the first country to formally recognize Chechnya as an independent state. But Afghanistan;s Taleban rulers who control 90 percent of that country, are themselves struggling for international recognition and admit they can do little to help Chechnya. Meanwhile, Russian officials say the capital, Grozny, could fall by early February. CNN's Steve Harrigan has more.</s>STEVE HARRIGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Russians have gone back on the offensive in Chechnya, one week after a surprise rebel attack recaptured parts of three cities. Columns of tanks and artillery headed south toward some of the region's most difficult terrain. Russia's acting president promised victory in what has now become a two-pronged attack against rebels who still control the capital city.</s>VLADIMIR PUTIN, ACTING RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): We are going to take Grozny. That's the first step. The second step is we will finish the operation in the mountains.</s>HARRIGAN: Much of the recent fighting has been in the mountainous Sheroye (ph) region, with both sides battling for control of a key highway that runs south to the neighboring country of Georgia.</s>GEN. ALEXANDER LARCHENKO, RUSSIAN ARMY: Sheroye is a very important strategic point because it is located at the junction of two mountain roads. One of them was a weapons resupply route to the rebels that we've now cut off.</s>HARRIGAN: The aura of success around the military campaign was broken by the rebel attacks last week, which occurred in territory the Russians had claimed to control. Russian newspapers are questioning whether the country is once again bogged down in a long-term war in the Caucasus. Steve Harrigan, CNN, Moscow.
Russians Have New Successes Against Chechens