Five armed insurgents, one police officer and a bystander were killed on Wednesday in separate clashes near Russia's turbulent Chechnya region, local media reported.The bodies of three rebels were recovered from a house in the Ingushetia region, where police had trapped them after pursuing them from neighboring Chechnya, Itar-Tass news agency reported. It said one police officer was killed.
Two insurgents were killed in a gunfight with police in the nearby region of Dagestan, which also borders Chechnya, Interfax news agency reported. A bystander was hurt in the shooting and later died in hospital, the agency said.
Analysts say the insurgency is driven by militant Islamist ideas and resentment at police harassment. In some areas the fighting is also linked to organized crime.