Vladikavkaz, Russia, July 29: Ten Russian soldiers died in the latest skirmishes with rebels and mine explosions in continued fighting in Chechnya, an official said today. Russian checkpoints were attacked 12 times in the past day, killing four soldiers and injuring six, an official in the Kremlin-backed Chechen administration said on condition of anonymity.

Troops clashed with rebels in a district of the capital Grozny, leaving two soldiers dead and one injured, the official said. Two other attacks on military vehicles killed four soldiers and wounded one.

The Kremlin insists the war in Chechnya is over and rebels defeated, but Russia loses soldiers daily in the southern province in small-scale attacks.

More than 160 suspects were detained in the past 24 hours in sweep operations, the official said, where Russian troops search for rebel sympathizers among the civilian population.

Bureau Report