GROZNY, October 29 (RIA Novosti) - More than 270 militants were arrested and 46 killed in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya in the first nine months of 2007, the Chechen interior minister said on Wednesday.

"The fight against terrorism remained a priority for the Chechen Interior Ministry within the given period. During this period four illegal armed formations were eliminated, including their commanders, 276 militants arrested and 46 killed after they resisted arrest," Ruslan Alkhanov said.

The minister added that 70 militants voluntarily decided to surrender, while the total number of crimes committed in Chechnya decreased by 21.8% against the same period last year.

Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov praised the work of the Interior Ministry.

"Dozens of operations, which resulted in the elimination of illegal armed formations, prove that the Interior Ministry of the republic has learnt how to take preventive measures," Kadyrov said.

Kadyrov, elected Chechen president in 2007, said earlier this year that "the counterterrorism operation in the region has been completed and today we are fighting criminal elements in the Republic of Chechnya."