As Fighting Flares, Russia Sends Troops to New Caucasus Hot Spot

Russia deployed heavily armed troops to its southern Caucasus flank Sunday to halt a new outbreak of ethnic warfare.

Several people were killed and scores taken hostage before a tentative cease-fire was called, reports said.

Ingush and Ossetian forces began fighting Friday in North Ossetia, a territory along Russia’s southern border with Georgia. Ingush militants in the region are demanding control of part of the Ossetian territory.

It was one of the first open clashes between the groups, adding another region to the list of conflicts in the former Soviet Union.

In fighting since Friday, the Itar-Tass and Interfax news agencies said at least five people were killed and 70 wounded, including civilians. Ingush officials put the death toll at 10 to 12.

Ingush and Ossetian negotiators later agreed to a cease-fire, Itar-Tass reported. The sides agreed to accept Russian paratroopers and Interior Ministry forces as a buffer force, it said.

The contours of conflict appeared a year ago, when the Ingush began pressing Russian leaders to redraw the borders between North Ossetia and the neighboring Chechen territory, where many Ingush also live.