MOSCOW, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Seven militants set off suicide devices during clashes with police in the home village of the Chechen president, a regional investigator said.
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov said militants attempted to storm his home village of Tsentoroi, though most killed themselves during an assault by area police. Several militants who were videotaping the attacks managed to escape, he added.
Authorities in the North Caucasus told Russian news agency RIA Novosti that as many as 30 militants may have been involved in the attack. Authorities said five policemen were killed and another 17 were injured in the weekend attacks.
"During the clashes, 12 militants were killed," regional authorities told RIA Novosti. "Seven of them blew themselves up and it appears impossible to visually identify the gunmen."
Meanwhile, authorities in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan uncovered a cache of weapons during the weekend. Authorities said weapons found buried under a garage included 20 grenades and five blocks of explosives. Grenade launchers were found at a separate site.
Islamic rebels in the North Caucasus republics have fought with pro-Kremlin authorities and Russian security forces in recent months.
