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"The International Herald Tribune"
June, 11th 2008
Russian security forces killed five suspected militants in a sweep in the volatile North Caucasus region Wednesday, officials said.
Police encircled a house in the town of Karabulak in the province of Ingushetia bordering Chechnya, where the suspects holed up, exchanging gunfire with those who were inside, the regional branch of the federal Investigative Committee said in a statement.
After a gunbattle that lasted several hours, security forces stormed the house and found the bodies of five militants who were killed, it said. A Kalashnikov assault rifle, a pistol and two explosive devices were found in the house.
A local police officer who asked not be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media said that among those killed was a woman who owned the house, and her son.
Major fighting ended years ago in Chechnya, which experienced two separatist wars in the past 13 years. The region and neighboring provinces in Russia's North Caucasus are still plagued by violence, including militant guerrilla raids on federal forces and local authorities.
Government critics attribute the growing number of attacks in the region — mostly against police — to anger fueled by abductions, beatings, unlawful arrests and killings of suspects by government forces and local allied paramilitaries. |
