Five rebel fighters were killed in anti-terrorist operations by Russian special forces in the North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia Thursday, Interfax news agency reported. A cell of Islamic rebel fighters first opened fire on Russian police forces in the Ingush city of Nazran, the agency quoted a regional interior ministry official as saying. "A counterterrorist operation has been deployed due the continued difficult situation in the republic Ingushetia," the official said. "There is information that the leader of a cell has gone underground in the region in preparation for several terrorist acts," the official added, saying large stores of weapons and explosive had been confiscated in Thursday's shootout. Increasing incidents of armed clashes between rebel groups and Russian police and military units have been reported recently from the Islamic areas of the Northern Caucasus. The situation in Chechnya, which has seen two wars since the mid- 1990s, is considered to have been stabilized, while observers say violence has increased significantly in neighbouring republics Ingushetia and Dagestan. Human rights activists have also complained of tensions between the authorities and civil groups in recent weeks. Three journalists were allegedly beaten last week and a local Ingush website was closed down.
