From the BBC:
Civilians are believed to be among 60 people killed in clashes between police and rebels in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus, say Russian media reports.
Local officials say 50 gunmen were killed in the city of Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria province.
Five police officers have also died, and several are being hostage in a police station, a Kremlin envoy says.
Militants from nearby Chechnya say they attacked government buildings, according to a pro-rebel website.
Kabardino-Balkaria lies close to war-ravaged Chechnya.
A school and the city’s airport, as well as government buildings, were all caught up in the running gun-battles
…
A source at Nalchik’s Republican Hospital told Ekho Moskvy radio that 20 dead had been brought in, “all people in uniform”.
At least 40 injured people had been taken to the hospital, with more arriving all the time, the source added.
From German news I also heard that the Russian military is now involved, and the seem to have learned from the massacre at Beslan. The soldiers reportedly act much quicker and more professional than they did at Beslan. There also are remors that organized crime might be involved, there are some powerful familes belonging to the Russian Mafia in the area.
Nothing much from Fox News, but here is some information from CNN.
Russian state TV said more than 50 attackers had been killed in the attacks in the capital of the southern Russian region of Kabardino-Balkariya.
The Russian Federal Security Service, reported by Interfax, said more than 200 militants were involved in the Nalichik attack.
The Health Ministry said the bodies of 10 people, including many in uniforms, had been brought to Nalchik hospitals, along with at least 64 wounded, Interfax reported.
Other government sources said about 20 had been killed — a mix of civilians and law enforcement officers.
…
Federal forces are said to be surrounding the city, located in a majority Muslim area, state-run TV reported, and were stopping vehicles on the outskirts of Nalchik, looking for gunmen who might be trying to flee the city.
…
“A law enforcement source earlier said that the gunmen launched the attack after security forces detained a group of Wahhabites, whom their supporters are currently trying to release,” Interfax reported. The Wahhabites are a sect of Islam.
That’s basically all I have so far. I’ll do some updates if I learn more.
The comment about organized crime being involved is a gimme under the circumstances. The Chechens have been providing the Mafiya with troops for 20 years now, serving terms as individual hired guns. So any action that is run by a given block of Chechen shooters would likely have from 5-10% former Mafiya soldiers. Whether they’re serving the godfather or the homeland is the question. Probably a little of both, with some tactical money gathering thrown in.
these terrorist scum need to die.