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Chechnya seize

police station in

in Arglin

MOSCOW: Chechen fighters loyal to rebel leader Dzhokhar Dudayev seized a police station in Argun, east of the capital Grozny, and took four officers hostage, Russian news agencies said on Monday.

They said between 250 and 300 men, led by rebel field commander Alaugi Khamzatov, seized the district internal affairs administrative building on Sunday evening and told Russian military representatives they intended to defend it.

Interfax news agency, quoting the Russian forces' press office in Chechnya, said the fighters were armed with hand-held grenade launchers, a flame-thrower and automatic weapons, and were holding four members of the local militia.

Tass said the Chechen fighters were surrounded by Russian forces and were refusing to surrender.

"At the present time, the seized district militia station building is surrounded by sub-units of federal forces. The fighters are refusing to obey demands to disarm," it said.

There was no immediate word from the Chechen side.

The agencies quoted the Russian forces command in Chechnya as saying the seizure was a "major violation' of the military accord and calling the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Chechen rebel commander to the scene.

The OSCE is brokering peace talks between the two sides which led to a military accord last month under which the Chechens agreed to disarm in return for the partial withdrawal of Russian troops sent to crush independence moves.

The accord was meant to stop fighting which has killed thousands of people in the mainly-Muslim north Caucasus region since December. But its implementation has been hampered by mutual recriminations and continued clashes.-Reuter