Russian federal forces killed three militants in Chechnya, including one believed to be notorious Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev's trusted subordinate, a spokesman for the federal forces in the North Caucasus said on Saturday.

"A group of four guerrillas ran into the scouts by night. Putting up armed resistance, three of them were killed and one detained," the spokesman was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

One of the killed men with a passport issued in the name of Alik Barshigov, born in 1982, was identified as Bulat Gudayev, who is on the federal wanted list on suspicion of committing a series of terrorist attacks.

With the help of a militant who surrendered on condition of personal security, federal forces learned that Suleyman Imurzayev,another Chechen warlord, and Gudayev were hiding in the Vedeno district, and then launched a special operation near Dishni-Vedeno on Friday night, said the spokesman.

Imurzayev and Gudayev were among a group of people believed to have masterminded a bomb attack at the Dynamo stadium in Grozny on

May 9, 2004, in which Chechen President Akhmat Kadyrov was killed.

Source: Xinhua