Two killed in Chechnya shootout

GROZNY, Russia, July 7 (Reuters) A rebel leader and a pro-Moscow security commander died in a dawn shootout today between Russian forces and Islamist guerrillas in Russia's southern Chechnya region, a Chechen official said.

Chechen chief prosecutor Valery Kuznetsov identified the dead rebel as Yunus Akhmadov. He had not previously been named as a prominent rebel.

''We have information that Akhmadov was the leader of a Grozny terrorist cell,'' Kuznetsov told Reuters. ''This information is being checked.'' Chechnya's pro-Moscow administration, headed by former rebel leader Ramzan Kadyrov, has previously proclaimed the death of prominent guerrillas only to retract the claims after checks.

The rebel kavkazcenter.com Web site confirmed a rebel called Yunus Akhmadov died in the shootout in Grozny, but did not say he was a commander. The Russians have always described the Web site as inaccurate.

Russia's army has battled rebel fighters in Chechnya since 1994 in two wars but has forced them back to their mountain hideouts.

Russia says it is mopping up the last of the rebels, who still attack police posts around the capital Grozny.

Kuznetsov said Saipudy Larsanov, head of one of Grozny's security agencies, also died in the raid on a house where Akhmadov was hiding.

REUTERS SV RN1822