Russian news agencies reported three rebel fighters had been killed in a battle with troops, which started at 7am. They did not report any Russian losses. The RIA Novosti agency said five armoured vehicles and more than 100 servicemen were surrounding a house in the city. The streets of Nazran, normally packed with people on a Saturday, were deserted and Russian border troops guarding a base in the city were on full alert. Nazran, the largest town in the region of Ingushetia, has been rocked by a spill-over of violence from Chechnya and was devastated in June by a rebel raid that killed more than 90 people, mainly police. Ingushetians are closely related to the Chechens, and in recent years a growing part of the mainly Muslim region has joined the fight against Russian rule which has battered Chechnya for a decade.