Russia claims to control the situation in and around Chechnya

The deaths are the first in the republic linked to the fighting - although Ingushetia has been the site of occasional crossover attacks by the guerrillas.

Russia has a heavy military presence in the republic, and the border has been a key crossing for some 200,000 refugees fleeing the fighting in Chechnya.

The news came as Council of Europe foreign ministers debated a proposal to exclude Russia from the organisation over alleged human rights violations during the Chechen military campaign.

Ambush

The convoy was passing near the village of Galashki in Ingushetia when gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons, a spokesman for Ingushetia's Interior Ministry is quoted as saying.

On top of the 16 fatalities, six Russian troops were wounded, he said.

According to official sources, the attackers are believed to have set off towards the town of Bamut in Chechnya.

Top Interior Ministry officials and representatives of the Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Security Service have gone to the scene of the attack.

The Kremlin confirmed that the attack had taken place but made no comment on the casualties.

Guerrilla war

Ambushes on Russian military convoys have been the rebels' most effective tactic in recent months, and the attacks have inflicted heavy casualties.

Russian troops find it difficult to fight Chechen guerrillas

Chechen sources have made a number of claims of successful attacks in recent days, but these have been disputed by the government.

On Wednesday, rebel fighters said they had trapped a Russian unit in eastern Chechnya, killing 30 soldiers. The government rejected the claims.

Accurate casualty figures have been difficult to obtain since the Russian troops invaded Chechnya in September to quash what Moscow called a major terrorist threat.