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Seven killed in Chechnya clashes
Four servicemen and three guerrillas were killed on Sunday in ongoing separatist violence in the Russian republic of Chechnya.
Four servicemen and three guerrillas were killed on Sunday in ongoing separatist violence in the Russian republic of Chechnya, Russian news agencies reported.
In the first of two incidents, police surrounded six guerrillas in a house in the North Caucasus republic's Vedensk region, news agency RIA Novosti reported.
"As a result of the fire fight, a regiment inspector, a policeman, and a Russian interior ministry commander were killed," RIA Novosti quoted an unnamed law enforcement source as saying.
Three of the guerrillas were killed, and an additional four policeman were wounded.
In a separate clash in Shalinsk region, a policeman was killed during the arrest of another guerrilla, the agency reported.
Russian forces have fought two wars in the last 12 years to crush separatist rebellions in Chechnya. Moscow has repeatedly declared victory over the rebels, but clashes continue.
An estimated 100,000 of Chechnya's one million people have been killed in the conflict, as well as, according to official figures, some 10,000 Russian servicemen.
