MOSCOW, July 12: Landmine blasts in separatist Chechnya killed three Russian soldiers and injured others early on Saturday, as Moscow said its forces had killed a prominent rebel leader during raids in the province.

Russian news agencies said one blast in the Vedeno district, southwest of the ravaged Chechen capital Grozny, killed three Russian sappers instantly and wounded three others as they swept roads for mines laid by rebels overnight.

In a separate explosion, two police officers were injured in the village of Alkhan-Kala outside Gronzy. Interfax news agency, quoting local police, said a woman and a child were hurt in the shootout that followed.

Early morning mine sweeping is a routine activity in Chechnya, where a curfew keeps residents off the region’s main roads until they have been cleared by teams of sappers.

Russian media also reported Moscow had uncovered a large rebel training camp and killed a well-known separatist leader and his bodyguards during “targeted sweep operations”.—Reuters