Russian television showed footage of helicopters and heavy guns firing at a snow-covered mountainside, though it was not clear what they were targeting.
There was no confirmation of the attack from rebel sources.
Moscow is trying to put down an insurgency that has spread from Russia's separatist Chechnya region to other parts of the North Caucasus.
(Reuters/ITAR-TASS)
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
RFE/RL Caucasus Report
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