Russian Security Forces Kill Four Rebels In Ingushetia

MOSCOW -- Russian media reports say security forces have killed four suspected rebels in a clash in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia.

Security forces surrounded rebel hideouts in a village close to Nazran, the region's largest city, and opened fire when the rebels refused to surrender. Four rebels were killed.

The shooting continued this morning after at least five more suspected rebels hid in nearby houses.

Nearly a decade after the end of the second of two wars against rebels in Chechnya, Russian security forces continue to battle Islamist militants in a sporadic insurgency across the restive North Caucasus region.

compiled from agency reports