In Chechnya, 18 rebel attacks over the last 24 hours left 12 soldiers dead and 22 wounded. Meanwhile, rebel leaders called for more peace talks. The rebels are suffering from the fact that their connections with the bin Laden organization are widely known. Several hundred Chechens are fighting for bin Laden in Afghanistan. With the bin Laden organization crippled, the Chechen rebels have lost one of their many supporters, and are taking a lot of heat for their bin Laden relationship.