Friday, October 14 2005 10:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: Hundreds of Chechen militants yesterday (Oct 13, 2005) staged mass raids on Government and police buildings in the capital of a Southern Russian province, leaving dozens dead and many more injured. Reports reaching here put the death toll between 49 and 70.

Authorities say most of the dead were rebels, but 12 police and 12 civilians also died in the assault on Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria province.

Troops were deployed and the area sealed off, following directions from President Vladimir Putin to not let any militant sneak out of the battle zone.

A pro-rebel website said a group known as the Caucasus Front had claimed the attack.

According to reports, upto 300 rebels armed with rocket launchers are said to have been involved in the fighting, which broke out early yesterday. Authorities said the situation is expected to be normalised by today (Oct 14, 2005).

The number of rebels killed is still unclear, with the latest estimates from local officials ranging from 20 to 50.

Sources reported a local official as saying that rebels launched a 'carefully planned' simultaneous attack on police stations, Russia's federal security forces, military and drugs-control offices and the airport.

A school was also caught up in the running gun-battles, as black smoke billowed across the city, sources reported.

Hostages were reportedly taken at one police station for a time.

Putin ordered the city to be sealed off and for forces to shoot any armed resisters.

"The President gave an instruction that not one gunman should be allowed to leave the town, and those who are armed and putting up resistance must be wiped out," Deputy Interior Minister Alexander Chekalin said. The pro-rebel Kavkaz Center website said that a detachment of the Chechen-linked Kabardino-Balkaria jamaat, called Yarmuk, had entered Nalchik. The use of the word jamaat indicates that it is made up of radical Islamic fighters, the sources report said.