Militant killed in clash in Chechnya

KHANKALA. Oct 20 (Interfax-AVN) - A militant was killed in a clash between a reconnaissance squad and a group of five militants in the mountains in southern Chechnya.

The incident occurred outside the village of Bashen-Kale in Chechnya's Shatoi district, federal forces spokesman Ilya Shabalkin told Interfax on Wednesday.

He said the gathered intelligence suggested that a terrorist attack was being planned against a military convoy. A reconnaissance squad, sent ahead of the military convoy, discovered a group of militants who opened fire when they were told to surrender.

Two remote-controlled landmines, three Kalashnikov assault rifles and cartridges were discovered at the scene of the clash.

An operation to detain the militants who managed to escape is underway.