The head of rebel forces in the Chechen capital of Grozny was killed during a special operation by pro-Russian forces, a spokesman for Chechnya's Interior Ministry said on Sunday. The rebel leader Khanpach Mavsarov was killed while trying to resist his arrest, said the ministry spokesman interviewed by telephone from North Ossetia, a bordering Caucasian republic to Chechnya. His killing comes less than a week after Russian forces killed Chechen President Aslan Maskhadov, after which rebels vowed they would step up their resistance. The operation was carried out by the militias of Chechen Deputy Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov, and one of his men was wounded, the spokesman said. The Interior Ministry said Mavsarov was in charge of all rebel operations in Grozny since January, following the killing of his predecessor.