Heavily armed Islamists clash with police in Grozny
Ten officers, nine militants dead in clashes that bring armoured vehicles onto the city's streets
Fighting between heavily armed Islamists and police in the centre of Chechnya's capital of Grozny yesterday left 10 officers and nine militants dead, officials said.
Militants barricaded themselves in a school and police cordoned off city streets, with the violence erupting just as Russian President Vladimir Putin gave his annual address to the nation, vowing to end violence in Chechnya.
Chechnya's head Ramzan Kadyrov said nine militants were killed after several hours of fighting, with armed personnel carriers dispatched to residential areas and shooting in the streets.
The operation against the gunmen left at least 28 injured, Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee said in a statement quoted by Russian news agencies. It said police efforts "liquidated" the group and "thwarted major acts of terror" but that some actions were ongoing.
Putin had pledged to wipe out insurgency in the North Caucasus but violence has continued in Chechnya and nearby regions, with a suicide blast rocking Chechnya in October.
Kadyrov said the militants were planning to stage an attack today but the plan fell through after traffic police stopped them in the early hours of yesterday.
It was unclear how many groups of militants were involved as they later stormed a building called the Press House in central Grozny as well as a school about a kilometre away.
