MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) - Five interior troops were killed and six others wounded in a clash with a criminal armed group in Chechnya's Urus-Martan district on Thursday, a law enforcement source told Interfax on Friday.
"A group of about 15 militants offered armed resistance when they were spotted in the Urus-Martan district on February 4," the source said. "The interior troops commander, a section chief, a squad commander and a rifleman were killed in the fighting. The chief of the reconnaissance unit, a platoon commander, a senior section operator and a section commander were wounded. The fighting restarted when the militants attempted to break the encirclement. The sniper was killed and two platoon commanders were wounded," he said.
Artillery fire was opened against the militants. The special operation is continuing, the spokesman said.