Two policemen killed, 17 wounded in combat in Chechnya - source

Two policemen have been killed and 17 more wounded in fighting with a militant gang that started in Shatoi district of Chechnya on Saturday, Interfax was told in law enforcement on Sunday.

View Larger Map

"Early reports indicate that the police clashed with a band of militants that may number 20 people. In stubborn fighting two officers died with one of them dying of severe wounds in hospital. Seventeen more were wounded," a source said.

The source added that the special effort was suspended for the night. "Measures are taken to establish the whereabouts of the gang and later eliminate it," he said.

Meanwhile, the website of the Investigative Committee reports that the local division of the committee in Chechnya launched a criminal case of illegal turnover of arms and encroachment on the life of law enforcement officers in relation to the clash.

Investigators say one officer was killed and 15 wounded in combat.

Earlier reports quoting the press service of the Chechen Interior Ministry said that an armed clash with militants broke out on Saturday when the police conducted a special operation in the western outskirts of the village of Kharsenoi in Shatoi district.

All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.