Russian and Chechen forces clash in day of violence

Russia has decided to reduce its forces in Chechnya

MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian forces have fought street battles with Chechen rebels in Gudermes, the restive region's second town, with both sides reporting casualties.

The fighting came a day after Moscow announced it would cut back on the number of troops deployed in the area, relying instead on police and special forces.

Interior Ministry officials were quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying rebels fired on a police post, killing a riot police officer, on Sunday morning.

A bomb exploded in a cafe at about the same time, injuring several civilians. Rebels also opened fire on a checkpoint leading out of the town, injuring two men at the post.

Tass said fighting continued throughout the day until the rebels fled under cover of darkness.

Rebel spokesman Movladi Udugov said fighters had killed at least 20 Russian soldiers and two pro-Moscow Chechen policemen in simultaneous attacks on military targets in the town, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) east of the region's devastated capital Grozny.

The rebels suffered only three wounded, he said.

"These attacks are the fulfilment of a plan drawn up in October to attack the Russian occupiers in places where they are concentrated," Udugov said.

No one was available to comment at the office of Sergei Yastrzhembsky, the main Kremlin spokesman on Chechnya.

President Vladimir Putin signed a decree extending the powers of pro-Moscow Chechen leaders on Friday, a day after he told ministers to draft proposals on reducing troops and boosting the economy.

After a 15-month offensive Russian military chiefs have said they want to use small, mobile units to eliminate the rebels. At least 2,500 have died in the current drive.

Large-scale fighting in Chechnya ended last spring, but in the months since then the insurgents have mounted near-daily small attacks on Russian positions.

Russian troops withdrew from Chechnya in 1996 at the end of a 20-month war against separatists, but returned to the republic in September 1999 in the wake of rebel incursions into neighbouring Dagestan and the deaths of some 300 people in apartment bombings that Russian officials blamed on the rebels.

Also on Sunday, Russian forces encircled the town of Urus-Martan, about 25 kilometres (15 miles) south of the capital Grozny, and were conducting house-to-house searches.

Russian soldiers said the operation was to look for Kenny Gluck, an American worker with the aid group Doctors Without Borders, who was kidnapped by unknown armed men on January 9.

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