At least eight killed in Grozny gunbattle, bombing rocks Dagestani city

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VLADIKAVKAZ, Russia - A fierce gunbattle in the shattered Chechen capital Grozny killed at least eight combatants Friday, officials said, as fighting erupted in other parts of Chechnya and a bomb rocked the capital of neighbouring Dagestan.

Five soldiers and three Chechen rebels died in the clash in northern Grozny, officials in the Moscow-backed local administration told AFP . Another two Russian servicemen were wounded, said the officials, who asked not to be named.

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Meanwhile, in Makhachkala, capital of the troubled neighbouring region of Dagestan, two explosions largely destroyed a local prosecutor's office, injuring six people, Interfax quoted local police as saying.

The blasts occurred within seconds of each other, setting the one-story building on fire, Russian television footage showed.

Turkish Press