Five militants killed in Chechnya

Five militants have been killed in Chechnya in two separate clashes with police.

According to the republic’s Interior Ministry, two militants fired shots on policemen who tried to detain them in the Urus-Martan region.

The policemen returned fire, killing the two militants, who have already been identified as a resident of Grozny and a resident of the village of Gekhi.

In a separate development, officers of law enforcement services came under fire when they tried to stop a car on the republic’s Chir-Yurt – Duba-Yurt motorway. Officers fired in response, killing three armed group members sitting inside the car. The killed militants are now being identified.

None of the officers has been killed or wounded in either incident.

In addition, according to local authorities, twelve more militants were killed during the weekend.

They were tracked down in the course of an anti-terror effort currently underway on the Chechen border with Ingushetia.