Military

ONE KILLED, 18 WOUNDED IN CHECHNYA

RIA Novosti

GROZNY, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - On Tuesday, one policeman was killed and 16 wounded in the shelling of the building of the local police department, a source in the Chechen Interior Ministry told RIA Novosti.

"At about 9.10 pm Moscow time, a group of people shelled a local police department in the Sernovodskoye settlement for about 30 minutes," said the source.

Moreover, an OMON (special police force) deployment HQs was shelled from an automatic weapon and grenade launchers. OMON soldiers opened return fire, and the criminals disappeared. No victims have been reported.

An interior affairs department building was also shelled in the Zavodskoy district of Grozny. The police opened return fire and the bandits retreated. No victims have been reported among the law-enforcers.

The source in the Interior Ministry has also said that two servicemen of the internal troops of the Russian Interior Ministry have been wounded in a land mine explosion. The explosion took place in a moving car.

In the Achkhoi-Martan district, two militants have been detained, and grenade launchers and automatic weapons have been confiscated from them, the source said.

According to the source, the check of the car discovered two Kalashnikov assault rifles, four anti-tank grenade launchers, a grenade and 450 cartridges, which were confiscated.

"Yesterday, police detained bandit Almatov who had been on the federal wanted list, in the Alkhazurovo settlement of the Urus-Martan district. He put up armed resistance and was killed by return fire," the source said.

He was found to have a Makarov pistol, which was also seized.