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42 Chechen rebels killed

MOSCOW: Russia's top commander in Chechnya said his troops killed 42 Chechen rebel fighters on Sunday in the area of Komsomolskoye, a village under heavy Russian bombardment for nearly two weeks.

Gennady Troshev told ORT public television that his troops were now combing the ruins of the village in search of rebels who might still be hiding in cellars.

"Five guerrillas we took captive say the rebels' leader, Ruslan Gelayev, is hiding with his two sisters in one of the cellars," Troshev said.

"Most of the surviving bandits have understood the hopelessness of their predicament and have fled in different directions," he said.

Gelayev's rebels put up unexpectedly strong resistance in Komsomolskoye, at the mouth of the Argun gorge.

After the generals had effectively claimed victory last week, Russian television showed pictures of troops still moving very cautiously into the village, dodging Chechen sniper fire. It also showed soldiers being treated for serious wounds.

Chechen rebel leaders have vowed to wage an open-ended partisan war against the Russian troops.-Reuters