Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Nine soldiers killed as Russians clash with Chechen rebels

Yuri Bagrov,Russia
Tuesday 24 June 2003 19:00 EDT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Eight Russian soldiers and one police officer have been killed in clashes with Chechen rebels. Russian air attacks struck suspected rebel bases in the southern Vedeno district, and artillery pounded the Vedeno, Itum-Kale and Kurchaloi districts, an official in Chechnya's Moscow-backed civilian administration said. Rebels had fired on Russian positions 13 times in 24 hours, killing two troops and wounding six, he added.

Eight Russian soldiers and one police officer have been killed in clashes with Chechen rebels. Russian air attacks struck suspected rebel bases in the southern Vedeno district, and artillery pounded the Vedeno, Itum-Kale and Kurchaloi districts, an official in Chechnya's Moscow-backed civilian administration said. Rebels had fired on Russian positions 13 times in 24 hours, killing two troops and wounding six, he added.

During a security sweep in the village of Petropavlovskaya on the outskirts of Grozny, the Chechen capital, a group of rebels opened fire on Russian troops, killing two and wounding two. The rebels escaped.

Also in Grozny, police tried to stop a car but the people inside opened fire, killing one officer. Two rebels in the car were also killed, the official said. In the village of Eshilkhotoi in the Vedeno district, two troops were killed and three wounded in a clash with rebels and two Russian sappers were killed by an explosion as they were attempting to defuse a mine.

The ITAR-Tass news agency said a pregnant woman said to be a suicide bomber detained on Sunday has died of gunshot wounds. She was in a truck with two others when police stopped them. Officers say the people in the truck fired on them. Two men were killed. The woman was wounded and was said to have been wearing a belt filled with 3lb of a plastic explosive, with a detonator and a remote-control trigger device.

Russian forces have been in Chechnya for nearly four years, punctuated by apartment-house bombings in Russian cities that killed more than 300 people. They were forced to retreat in 1996 after a two-year war, leaving the region de facto independent.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in