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Rebels launch attacks in southern Russia
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-13 20:03
Militants launched simultaneous attacks on police and government buildings in
this city in Russia's turbulent Caucasus region Thursday, sparking battles
involving heavy-arms fire that forced schools to evacuate and left corpses in
the streets.
Chechen rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks in Nalchik, the capital
of Kabardino-Balkariya, a republic near Chechnya. The republic has suffered a
growing wave of violence that apparently is connected to Islamic extremists and
that is seen as a spillover of the Chechen rebels' decade-long fight against
Russian forces.
Sporadic shooting continued for hours after the morning attacks began, and
amid the chaos officials gave varying accounts of casualties and the number of
attackers.
At least 13 people were killed and 75 wounded, local health ministry
spokesman Stepan Kuskov said, including three civilians, three rebels and seven
police officers.
Twelve civilians and five police officers were killed, Dmitry Kozak, the
Russian presidential envoy for the region said, according to the news agency
Interfax.
Kozak also told Russian television that attackers were
holding hostages at a police station. He did not say how many hostages there
were or whether they were officers or civilians.
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