At least 10 police killed in Chechnya- Source

Grozny (Russia), Mar 11: At least 10 policemen loyal to the Moscow-backed government have been killed in recent days in clashes with rebels in the foothills of the Chechen mountains, a source in the local security forces said.

Witnesses said explosions in the battles in the Vedeno region were so loud they were audible in Grozny, 50 km to the north.

A spokesman for the local government's Anti-Terrorist Centre yesterday declined to confirm the losses, saying official figures showed three policemen had been killed and one injured. He said four rebels had been killed.

The source said security forces had been ambushed when trying to attack a base run by Rabbani, a separatist leader usually identified by his first name alone and who has previously led rebels in the neighbouring Dagestan region.

Clashes occur regularly in Chechnya, although it is rare for Russian officials or rebels to confirm their losses in a war that the Kremlin presents as all but over.

Reuters