Global General
Five soldiers killed in Russia's Chechnya
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-06 01:44
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Five Russian soldiers were killed in a clash with militants in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, local police said Friday.
The clash occurred during a special operation late Thursday led by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in the republic's Urus-Martan district, southwest of the regional capital, Grozny.
"A group commander, a squad chief, a section commander and a rifleman were killed in a shootout. A sniper died as militants attempted to break through federal lines during the second clash," said a police officer.
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The move reflected a shift of the Kremlin's tactics in tackling the economic backwardness, rampant militant violence and clan rivalry in the North Caucasus, which Medvedev regards as major security threats to Russia.
