Russia kills 72, arrests 31 terrorists as the battle in Nalchik ends

About 1,500 Russian military men and 500 commandoes have been sent to Nalchik in connection with a huge terrorist attack on the city

Russian special forces destroyed 72 terrorists during the military operation in the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino Balkaria republic, situated in Russia's south near Chechnya. The terrorists killed from 14 to 24 local residents; the exact number of victims among the civilians is yet to be specified. 

Battles in the Russian city of Nalchik have finally ended at about 10:00 a.m. local time today, during the second day of the special operation to eliminate a large group of terrorists in the capital of the Kabardino-Balkaria republic.

The Russian federal forces continued the fight against the extremists early this morning, snuffing out the remaining terrorists in two holdouts – a police station and the Souvenirs store in Nalchik's center.

Battles in the city of Nalchik, the capital of the Kabardino-Balkaria republic, continue for the second day. The federal forces have stormed two buildings, where the terrorists holed up.

New photoreport from the embattled city of Nalchik

Two or three terrorists blockaded themselves in the Souvenirs shop in the center of the city. The new stage of the special operation resumed this morning at about 8:30 local time. Several shots of grenade-launchers and automatic firing were heard in the area, and the shootout ceased later.

Deputy Prosecutor of the Russian Federation Vladimir Kolesnikov stated that the terrorists were holding several people hostage in the Souvenirs shop. “They are holding several women there. One should act as cautiously as possible,” the official said. The terrorists are holding three people hostage: two women and one man, Itar-Tass reports.

The terrorist attack in Nalchik. Day 2: Photoreport

The gunmen, who have seized the Third Police Department of Nalchik yesterday, left the police building on Friday morning. The terrorists tried to escape in a minivan, which they somehow obtained. The driver failed to control the vehicle, the van ran into a tree, and the federal forces destroyed the terrorists in the vehicle, Itar-Tass reports.

Deputy Prosecutor Vladimir Kolesnikov summarized the results of the operation: all eight terrorists, who previously seized the building of the Third Police Department in Nalchik, had been eliminated, and all five hostages had been freed.

About 1,500 Russian military men and 500 commandoes have been sent to Nalchik in connection with a huge terrorist attack on the city, official said. The military men blockade the city not to let any of the terrorists escape; commandoes patrol the city on helicopters and vehicles.

It transpired that Russia's Osama bin Laden, Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev was spotted in the city during the military operation. The General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces does not have any specific information on the matter for the time being. “The current events show that the terrorists had a goal to attract attention of both the Russian and the international community to themselves,” the chairman of the Russian General Staff, Yury Baluyevsky said.

ORT, AP photos

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