KHANKALA. May 27 (Interfax-AVN) - Eight rebel fighters were killed in skirmishes in the mountains of southern Chechnya on Wednesday, Colonel Ilya Shabalkin, a spokesman for the regional federal headquarters, told Interfax on Wednesday evening.
"A reconnaissance unit spotted a gang of 10 rebels ten kilometers southeast of the village of Duba-Yurt. A special police unit killed four of them. The others managed to escape into the forests. Steps are being taken to find and kill them," he said.
In another skirmish, Russian troops spotted seven rebels seven kilometers from the village of Dargo. "Two of them were killed in an exchange of fire. The evidence found at the scene suggests that the gang had been under the command of the terrorist Rappani Khalilov," Shabalkin said.
A reconnaissance unit spotted five rebels south of Sharo- Argun in Chechnya's Shatoi district, Shabalkin said. "Two of them were killed and the others ran away," he said.
MU-24 Hind helicopter gunships were used in the skirmishes, Shabalkin said. Blood-soaked bandages found on the scenes suggest that some rebels were badly wounded. Six Kalashnikovs, three grenade launchers, grenades and ammunition were also recovered, he said.
Steps are being taken to eliminate the remnants of the rebel gangs, Shabalkin said. However, no villages are being cordoned off, and no roads are closed, he said.