North Ossetia is located in southern Russia, bordering the rebellious republic of Chechnya.

The following are the major terror attacks linked to Chechen rebels in 2004:

Sept. 1 -- A group of armed men seized a school in Russia's North Ossetia region, taking about 400 people hostage. The armed men have demanded the release of terrorists captured in the neighboring Ingushetia republic, near Chechnya.

Aug. 31 -- At least 10 people were killed and more than 50 wounded in a suicide bombing attack outside a subway station in Moscow. An Islamist group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which bears the hallmarks of Chechen rebel attacks.

Aug. 24 -- Two Russian passenger jets crashed almost simultaneously after taking off from Moscow's Domodedovo Airport, killing all the 90 people on board. Authorities had blamed terrorists for the twin crashes.

Aug. 21 -- Several people were killed and a few others wounded when rebels attacked a police station in Grozny, capital of Chechen republic.

July 26 -- A home-made remotely controlled explosive device went off south of the Samashki village in Chechnya, killing three people and wounding one.

June 22 -- Heavily armed rebels launched overnight attacks on key points in Ingushetia, killing at least 48 people. Among those killed were 18 law enforcement officers, mainly from the Interior Ministry, and 28 civilians. Two rebel fighters were also killed and another 30 people were injured.

June 4 -- A powerful explosion ripped through a market in the city of Samara, central Russia, killing at least nine people and wounded dozens of others.

May 29 -- A bomb blast derailed a section of a passenger train in southern Russia, but no one suffered serious injuries. Two bombs went off when the train was traveling from Moscow to Vladikavkaz, capital of North Ossetia.

May 25 -- At least seven people were injured when a bomb attached to a lamp-post on a highway in downtown Moscow exploded. The blast occurred while a Saab car was passing by, injuring at least seven passers-by and smashing windows in several cars and nearby houses.

May 11 -- Two men were killed in a grenade explosion in a parking lot in northern Moscow. The hand grenade exploded at the guard booth in the parking lot and killed the two guards.

May 9 -- At least 14 people were killed and some 40 others injured in an explosion in Grozny. Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov was killed in the blast that occurred during a ceremony celebrating the Victory Day in the Dynamo stadium.

Feb. 10 -- An explosion in Grozny killed two Chechen employees of the Russian military and wounded six. The blast occurred outside the Russian military commandant's office in the city's Lenin district.

Feb. 6 -- An explosion during the morning rush hour aboard a subway train in Moscow killed at least 30 and injured about 100 others. The blast, in the second wagon of the train, caused a serious fire in the underground train and badly damaged the carriage.

Feb. 5 -- At least two people were killed in an explosion in the morning in the city of Vladikavkaz.

Jan. 14 -- Three Russian servicemen, including an officer, diedand a fourth was seriously wounded when a land mine exploded in the Chechen village of Vashindoro near the southern town of Shatoi.