| Five soldiers and three police were killed in the latest fighting in Chechnya, an official said Saturday, as Russian forces blocked off the regional capital Grozny for operations to weed out suspected rebel sympathisers. Police were also searching for traitors among their ranks as part of the Grozny sweep, the official in the pro-Moscow Chechen administration said on condition of anonymity. In the past 24 hours, rebels fired 20 times on military checkpoints - killing five troops and wounding seven, the official said. Three police were killed and three wounded in other clashes with rebels, including an exchange of fire Friday in Grozny. Two power company workers driving a truck were also injured Friday when their truck was ambushed near the village of Samashki, the official said. Russian artillery shelled suspected rebel bases in three districts, and at least 180 people were detained Friday in sweep operations. |