Russian troops surround militants in Caucasus

Moscow, Dec 25 (UNI) Russian forces in the Caucasus republic of Karachay-Cherkessia are conducting a special operation to eliminate a group of suspected militants surrounded in an apartment house, in the centre of the capital, Cherkessk, which lies west of war-ravaged Chechnya.

''A group of militants have been surrounded in an apartment building,'' a police spokesman told Russian news agencies.

He said the group presumably consisted of four men, who offered stiff resistance opening fire and throwing grenades at the troops.

He added the two gunmen could have been killed or wounded, as only two of the group were currently returning fire.

A Russian TV reporter said several explosions were heard and residents were evacuated from the area.

The spokesman said the besieged apartment belongs to Temerlan Bostanov, one of the main suspects in the case of Ali Kaitov and his 15 accomplices charged with killing seven young people in October 2004.

A local court was reportedly to announce verdict in the case today.

The identity of the militants remained unclear, although some local officials described them as ''Wahhabi'' Muslims.

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