News / Russia

Six Russian soldiers killed in gun battle with Chechnya militants

Friday, 24 March 2017 9:15 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 March 2017 9:15 AM ]

Russian military soldiers take part in a military drill close to Chechnya on March 19, 2015. (Photo by AFP)

Six Russian soldiers have been killed in a gun battle with militants, who attempted to launch an attack on a military facility in the country’s southern region of Chechnya.

The National Guard of Russia said in a statement that the militants attempted to storm their base in heavy fog at around 2:30 a.m. local time (Thursday 2330 GMT).

However, a group of Russian soldiers spotted the assailants and successfully repelled the attack following an exchange of gunfire, the statement added.

“Six of the attackers were destroyed,” the statement said. “During the armed combat, six military were killed and there are wounded.”

None of the attackers managed to make his way into the base, added the statement.

A group of extremist militants are fighting in Chechnya and across the volatile North Caucasus. The group sporadically launches terrorist attacks against authorities and police forces in the region.

Authorities in Moscow say hundreds of people in the region have left to join the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in Iraq and Syria. They now fear that their return could pose serious security threats to the country.

Russia has fought two wars against separatists in the region over the past decades. The region is now governed by Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov, a former militant who is now loyal to the Russian government.

The security situation in the region, however, remains volatile.

In December last year, security forces killed another 11 gunmen in Chechnya after the militants attempted to target police forces in the provincial capital, Grozny.

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