Militants opened fire on a hidden police post from a partially-destroyed building, using assault rifles and grenade launchers, and killed a troop commander and a contract soldier. Police returned fire, but the attackers escaped.
In a separate incident, police in the Urus-Martan district in the center of the troubled North Caucasus Republic defused a home-made bomb made of two 20-liter plastic containers filled with TNT, metal shards and aluminum powder. A source said the bomb had a potential yield of some 35 kg. An investigation is underway.
Chechnya was devastated by two military campaigns in 1994-1996 and 1999-2001, after which Moscow significantly scaled down its military presence in the republic. However, sporadic fighting and militant attacks continue in the area.