Security forces in Chechnya have killed nine suspected militants in two separate clashes, the strongman leader of the Russian region said today.
Ramzan Kadyrov said on Instagram that a group of gunmen attempted to launch attacks on police in the provincial capital, Grozny.
During the overnight clash, they fired at police who tried to stop their vehicle. Police killed four gunmen and captured two others, who have been taken to a hospital.
A police officer also has been wounded in the clash.
Later in the day, security forces tracked down another group of gunmen and killed five of them in a clash on the outskirts of Grozny, Kadyrov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.
The Kremlin has relied on Kadyrov to stabilize Chechnya after two separatist wars. The Chechen leader has used generous federal subsidies to rule the region like a personal fiefdom.
International rights groups have accused his feared police force of abductions, torture and extrajudicial killings.
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