VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia, Jan 14 (AFP) - Five federal soldiers and two pro-Russian Chechen policemen were killed in the past 24 hours in a series of attacks in the war-torn Russian republic, an official in the pro-Moscow Chechen administration told AFP Friday.
Two Russian servicemen were killed and five others wounded in various incidents when army positions came under fire from suspected rebels, the official in the Chechen capital Grozny told AFP by telephone, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Three other soldiers died and three were wounded in a landmine explosion that hit their truck as it was travelling near the village of Tazen-Kala, in the mountainous southeastern Vedeno region.
Elsewhere, two pro-Russian Chechen policemen were killed and four others wounded in two armed clashes that left one rebel dead, the official said.
Russian troops poured into breakaway Chechnya in October 1999, more than five years ago, in what was presented as a "lightning anti-terrorist operation." But a festering guerrilla conflict continues to claim daily lives.
01/14/2005 15:11 GMT - AFP