A group of rebels from Chechnya reportedly killed nine Russian border guards after crossing into the neighboring republic of Dagestan early yesterday, reviving memories of a 1999 incursion that sparked off the second Russo-Chechen war.
Between 20 and 50 rebels entered the remote, mountainous Tsuntinksy region near Dagestan's border with Georgia around 3am, Russian news agencies reported.
Nine border guards were killed and 10 were wounded in the ensuing fight, the head of Tsuntinsky regional administration, Basyr Magomedov, said.
There were conflicting reports as to whether the rebels had crossed into Dagestan from Chechnya while on their way to Georgia, or whether they entered from Georgia and were heading toward Chechnya.
According to one account, local residents noticed the group and alerted border guards nearby. A group of nine border guards engaged in battle and were all killed.
The rebels holed themselves up in the village of Shauri for a few hours, took four people hostage at a clinic and took off toward Chechnya with their captives in tow, Magomedov said.
A state of emergency had been declared, roads to Chechnya and Georgia had been blocked and additional border guards and elite interior ministry forces had been sent in as reinforcements, Magomedov said.
The battle ensued after the rebels probably lost their bearings in the snowy mountains, military officials told news agencies.
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