13. According to the Government, between 24 and 26 December 2001 a special operation was conducted in the village of Chechen-Aul to check identity papers and locate members of illegal armed groups. Troops from the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Security Service (FSB) took part in the operation. During that period unidentified persons in camouflage uniform apprehended Ramzan Rasayev, who lived in Chechen-Aul, and took him to an unknown destination. He was not delivered to the filtration point and was not in the list of persons detained. His whereabouts have not been established to date.