Attackers abduct Chechen pupils

Russian forces and rebels have been blamed for many abductions

Three school students have been kidnapped by unknown assailants in the southern region of Chechnya.

The abduction, as the 15-year-olds walked to school in Dyshne-Vedeno on Thursday, prompted local protests.

An interior ministry official said cars without licence plates stopped near the group and the boys were bundled inside before the cars drove off.

Human rights groups blame many of Chechnya's kidnappings on Russian troops and rebel forces.

More than 100 people blocked a road blocked the road between Dyshne-Vedeno and the neighbouring village of Belgatoi, demanding the boys' return, officials told the French news agency AFP.

Some abductions have also been attributed to the security service run by Ramzan Kadyrov, the son of Chechen leader Akhmad Kadyrov, who was killed in a bomb blast in the Chechen capital, Grozny, on Sunday.

Senior officials in Chechnya have appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Ramzan Kadyrov to run for the Chechen presidency and overrule the local constitution, which says he is too young to stand.

New elections are due to be held before 5 September.