Chechen rebels who fought their way into the neighboring Dage-stan region continued their rampage for a second day yesterday, taking control of a tiny village and seizing more hostages, Russian news agencies reported. Police denied any new hostages were taken and said the largest rebel group was surrounded.
The Interfax news agency, citing residents of the mountain villages of western Dagestan, reported that about 30 rebels seized the tiny village of Galakli and were holding about 10 hostages.
Interfax said 15-20 gunmen were hiding near another village, Mokokh, with a single hostage they were using as a guide, and that a third group was in the area around Mokokh and Shauri, the village the rebels entered Monday after killing nine Russian border guards on the internal frontier between Chechnya and Dagestan.
The ITAR-Tass news agency also reported that a large group of rebels entered Galakli before dawn and were holding 11 hostages there after releasing a woman and a child. It said nine people live in the village.
Dagestani police officials said several gunmen were in a small village near Shauri, but they did not specify its name.
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