Chechen militants attack civilians, abduct Russian soldier

Chechen militants have made several attacks on local residents in the Urus-Martan district of the republic.

The incidents took place in the village of Gekhi, RIA Novosti learned on Tuesday from the local law-enforcement bodies.

A masked man in black uniform entered the house of a local resident Bashayev in the Kirov street. He fired at the owner from the gun, took 40,000 roubles and disappeared.

Some time later, a criminal, also in a mask and black uniform, burst into the house of Mr. Gasukhanov in the Sovetskaya street, fired several times at him and left.

"By now all the victims have been taken to hospital, search is on for the offenders," the agency's interlocutor said.

In the Staropromyslovsky district of Grozny servicemen of the Russian interior troops clashed with a group of militants, RIA Novosti learned from a source in the headquarters of the North Caucasian joint forces.

According to the source, the incident took place at 4:30 a.m. Moscow time at the checkpoint in the Staropromyslovsky highway.

"During the skirmish an unidentified explosive device went off killing one of the militants and the rest escaped," he said.

The three militants are being searched for. On the scene of the incident the military found three magazines for a Kalashnikov sub-machine gun with 80 rounds. None of the servicemen was wounded.

Separately, a serviceman has been abducted in the Urus-Martan district of Chechnya, the headquarters reported.

Last night about 30 camouflaged and masked individuals burst into the house in the village of Roshni-Chu, where a contract serviceman Pashkov lived.

"They took hold of his gun and threatening with it took him in an unknown direction. Investigation has been launched, the kidnapped man is being searched for," the agency's interlocutor said.