Six alleged rebels were killed in a skirmish with Russian troops in Chechnya, the Interfax news agency reported Monday. Maj. Gen. Ilya Shabalkin, a spokesman for federal forces in Chechnya, said the clash occurred during a special operation to eliminate 15-20 rebels near the towns of Starye and Novye Atagi, just south of the Chechen capital Grozny. He said four rebels' bodies were found at the scene of the overnight battle and two were found severely wounded on the militants' getaway route, Interfax reported. "They died without regaining consciousness," Shabalkin was quoted as saying.
