15:09, 20 April 2004

Militants killed in 17 April operation in Ingushetia appear to be Wahhabis

The militants who were killed on April 17, during an operation in Ingushetia, appeared to have been Wahhabis, a source in the Ingush interior ministry reported. The terrorists also proved to have been linked to Chechen militant groups.

Local police and Federal Security Service (FSB) officers were trying to capture militants who were hiding in a house in the village of Ordzhonikidzevskaya in Ingushetia on April 17. The criminals opened fire and injured two policemen and a FSB officer. Then they took one policeman hostage during the skirmish. When the militants declined to lay down arms and release the hostage, law enforcers undertook to storm the house. Three militants were killed and one detained.

Ruslan Sampiyev, 35, a notorious militant, was among those killed in the operation, according to the Ingush interior ministry.

An anti-tank rocket launcher, an automatic rifle and three Kalashnikov submachine guns were found in the house that harbored the terrorists.

Editors note: See also the article "Hostages killed during special operation in Ingushetia".

Source: RIA Novosti