Rostov-on-Don (Russia), July 13: Rebels ambushed a Russian military vehicle in southern Chechnya, killing nine soldiers and wounding five, a Chechen administration official said today. The soldiers were traveling in a heavy Kamaz truck when they hit a remote-controlled land mine in the Shatoi region of southern Chechnya yesterday evening, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Rebels then ambushed the vehicle, launching grenades and firing automatic weapons at the truck, the official said. The soldiers had been returning to base after conducting a reconnaissance mission in the mountains of southern Chechnya where many rebels shelter and through which many supply routes run, a news agency reported. Russian troops have been bogged down in Chechnya since 1999 when they returned to the republic following rebel raids on a neighboring Russian region and a series of deadly apartment-house bombings in Russian cities that were blamed on the rebels. Bureau Report