11 Soldiers Killed in Chechnya Attacks

Eleven Russian servicemen were killed in the separatist province of Chechnya as guerrillas shot up their checkpoints and vehicles in a flurry of hit-and-run attacks, an official in the pro-Moscow Chechen civilian administration said. Rebels attacked Russian positions 25 times in 24 hours, the official said. The Russian military command announced that all roads in Chechnya would be closed to civilian traffic from Christmas Day through Jan. 10 because of rebel threats of attacks around New Year’s, state-run RTR television reported.