17 soldiers and rebels killed in Chechnya

Moscow-13 Chechen rebels, a civilian and three Russian soldiers were killed in the space of 24 hours in the breakaway Republic…

Moscow-13 Chechen rebels, a civilian and three Russian soldiers were killed in the space of 24 hours in the breakaway Republic.

Masked men wearing combat uniforms opened fire in the Chechen capital of Grozny on Monday, killing a 40-year-old resident and seriously wounding a woman, the Russian Interior Ministry said. Russian troops killed 10 rebel Chechens in the southeastern town of Benoi.

On Tuesday, troops killed three rebels, while rebels shot dead three Russian soldiers in the southeastern town opf Nojai-Yurt. A 13-yaer-ole girl was in a serious condition after a tank truck carrying water exploded when it hit a landmine near her school in the capital.