5 rebels dead in Russian violence

Three police officers and three local residents were injured in the incident,which occurred overnight Thursday-Friday.

Separately,three militants were killed in Makhachkala,the capital of Dagestan,media reports said.

8220;Three guerrilla fighters were killed in a clash in Makhachkala. They are being identified,8221; RIA Novosti quoted an FSB security service official as saying.

The suspects reportedly opened fire on a police post and were repulsed by a police patrol,as reported.

Also in Dagestan,the Memorial human rights group reported that relatives of three young men who disappeared earlier in the week had found three badly burned bodies which they believed to be the abducted men.

8220;The bodies are in such a state that it is impossible to identify them visually,this will require a DNA test. However,the tape that was used to tie them up is visible,8221; said Memorial activist Alexander Cherkasov.