2012 Nozhay-Yurtovsky District clashes

The 2012 Nozhay-Yurtovsky District clashes involving Russian Interior Ministry special forces supported by heavy weapons and military aircraft^[2] and Islamist militants occurred between February 13 and 17, 2012, reportedly leaving at least 24 people dead on both sides.^[1] The Nozhay-Yurtovsky District is a part of the Russian republic of Chechnya bordering Dagestan. According to the Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, mountains were being cleared of rebels because of a planned construction of a tourist complex in the area.^[3]

2012 Nozhay-Yurtovsky District clashes
Part of the Insurgency in the North Caucasus
Location of Nozhay-Yurtovsky District on the map of the Chechen Republic
Date February 13–17, 2012 Location Nozhay-Yurtovsky District, Chechnya (Russia) Result Russian Victory
Belligerents
Russia	Caucasus Emirate
Commanders and leaders
Ramzan Kadyrov[citation needed]	Magarbi Timiraliyev †
Casualties and losses
17 killed and 24 wounded (government claim)[1]	7 killed (government claim)[1]

Results

Initially, Kadyrov claimed that a group of 20 fighters led by Magarbi Timiraliyev ("Abudar") have been destroyed in a special operation, including 13 killed "earlier", and that 13 government troops were killed and 20 injured.^[3] However, in an official report for Russian president Dmitry Medvedev (as cited by the state agency ITAR-TASS), Russia's interior minister Rashid Nurgaliyev said that 17 troops have been killed and 24 wounded, and there are only seven confirmed killed members of an armed group; Nurgaliyev also said that the government forces had been ambushed.^[1][4]

According to unofficial Russian sources, at least 21 special policemen were killed and 36 injured while "completely" destroying Timiraliyev's armed group of an unreported size (presumably around seven members).^[2] There is also actually no information about the fate of Timiraliyev himself.^[3] Kavkazcenter confirmed five rebel deaths, citing the number of bodies shown on TV.^[5]