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Chechens killed 20 Russian soldiers in ambush

MOZDOK (Russia): The Russian military said on Friday that Chechen militants had killed 20 of its men in an ambush, a timely reminder that Chechen armed resistance to Moscow's rule in the region is still stiff.

The war continued to dominate Russia's international relations, with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov having to meet pressure from the European Union in a meeting in Lisbon on Thursday over alleged human rights abuses in Chechnya.

The Russian news agency Interfax quoted the military as saying that 20 members of the crack OMON police brigade died in the ambush by Chechen guerrillas near the capital Grozny on Thursday and that 29 were wounded.

Interfax said the OMON column was attacked as it entered the Staropromyslovsky district in the northwest of the city.

It said the rebels raked the column with machine fire and grenade launchers before other Russian soldiers arrived to drive the guerrilla group off.

NTV commercial television had said on Thursday that the death toll from the attack was 12. RTR state-owned TV had quoted the military as saying only one soldier had died.

The ambush was a sharp reminder that Russia faces the possibility of a hit-and-run war by the militants, although Moscow says it has most of Chechnya under control.

It was the first clash reported by the military near Grozny, since the city was seized by Russian troops several weeks ago.

Chechen leader Aslan Maskhadov predicted in an interview with U.S.-funded Radio Liberty on Thursday that the war would be a long one and that his fighters were still resisting the Russian forces.

Maskhadov also said he was ready for peace talks, although Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking to reporters, quickly dismissed the idea.

Russia's main spokesman on Chechnya, Sergei Yastrzhembsky, said the only people in Moscow who would talk with Maskhadov were prosecutors and the police. Russia says that Maskhadov must answer charges of fomenting rebellion.

Small groups of Grozny residents were allowed on Thursday to go on foot to see what could be salvaged from homes in a city devastated by weeks of fighting.

Russian soldiers were still combing shattered buildings for mines and said the town, laced with checkpoints, would remain largely shut.

Maskhadov said he had more than 20,000 militants under his command, although Russian Defence Minister Igor Sergeyev said there were no more than 1,500 or 3,000 militants at large.

The West has accused Russia of excessive force in Chechnya and stressed the need for an independent investigation into reported rights abuses. Ivanov faced more criticism.

"What has been done so far by the Russians does not meet the nub of our argument," said EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten.-Reuters