Three Russian soldiers were killed and five others wounded in Chechnya over the past 24 hours, federal forces told news agencies Friday.
The three dead and two of the injured were hit in attacks on Russian checkpoints throughout the breakaway republic, the AVN military news agency reported.
Three other soldiers were hurt when a mine detonated as they inspected a special train near the town of Argun, a few kilometers (miles) east of the nominal capital Grozny, said Interfax.
Russian police official Mikhail Suntsov told Interfax that two separatist warlords, Arbi Barayev and Tsagoroyev, were currently based in Grozny.
"We know where they are, but we haven't arrested them yet so as not to endanger the civilian population," the colonel said.
According to Russian military officials, some 500 rebels continue to operate in the ruined city.
Elsewhere, Russian warplanes continued to pound suspected rebel hideouts across the republic, invaded by federal forces in October 1999 -- MOSCOW (AFP)
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
