Rebels kills 12 Russian servicemen

Twelve Russian servicemen were killed in a day of intensive attacks by rebels in separatist Chechnya, officials said today.

Rebels fired on Russian positions 14 times in the past 24 hours, killing five servicemen and wounding six, an official in the Moscow-backed Chechen administration said.

Near the village of Dyshne-Vedeno, a column of army vehicles came under fire from grenade launchers and other weapons. Four servicemen were killed and four wounded.

Rebels clashed with riot police near the village of Gansolchu, killing two officers and wounding several. One rebel was killed and one detained.

Near Gudermes, the region’s second-biggest city, one servicemen was killed and three wounded when an armoured personnel carrier detonated a land mine.

In Grozny, the capital, rebels attacked a police patrol, wounding two officers.