Pro-Moscow Chechen administration head Alu Alkhanov on 18 February confirmed that eight relatives of Chechen resistance leader Aslan Maskhadov were abducted in December and that a criminal investigation into the matter has been launched. Alkhanov said that he is personally categorically opposed to such abductions in any circumstances. He also charged that Maskhadov and radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basaev have been involved in abductions in the republic and he called on resistance fighters to \"return to a normal, peaceful life.\" Alkhanov also said the conflict in Chechnya has been provoked by \"those forces that were involved in the collapse of the Soviet Union\" and condemned Arab mercenaries who are aiding the Chechen resistance. He said that federal security organs have effective control over the entire territory of the republic. (RIA-Novosti)