NAZRAN, Ingushetia. Sept 26 (Interfax-AVN) - A large group of Chechen rebels that clashed on Thursday with Russian troops came from the Pankisi Gorge of Georgia, a senior Russian officer said.
The battle occurred in the vicinity of the village of Galashki in Russia's autonomous republic of Ingushetia, which borders on Chechnya.
Lieutenant General Valery Gerasimov, commander of the 58th Army, whose units were fighting the group, said the rebels paid USD7,000 to a Georgian to lead them from Georgia into Ingushetia. Gerasimov told reporters that well-known field commander Ruslan Gelayev headed the group.
The general confirmed that seven Russian servicemen were killed and nine wounded in the battle. He said there were both officers and enlisted men among those killed.
He also said the rebels, who numbered between 150 to 250, sustained heavy losses, and several of them were taken prisoner.
The latest report says more than 80 rebels have been killed.
The rebels were surrounded and split up into small groups. Army and police reinforcements were working to prevent them from breaching the encirclement.