[Al Ahram] Police in the Russian republic of Dagestan...a formerly inoffensive Caucasus
republiccurrently bedevilled by low-level Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, ethnic tensions and terrorism, primarily due to its proximity to Chechnya. There are several dozen ethnic groups, most of which speak either Caucasian, Turkic, or Iranian languages. Largest among these ethnic groups are the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Lezgin, and Laks. While Russers form less than five percent of the population, Russian remains the primary official language and the lingua franca...
say at least one person has been killed and 11 injured in a live grenade accident at a high school.
The police said in a statement on Monday that they detained a teenager who brought the grenade to school in the rural area in Russia's North Caucasus. At least three teenagers are in intensive care. The police in Dagestan called it an accident but the circumstances of the kaboom were not immediately clear.
Following two separatist wars in neighboring Chechnya, an Islamic insurgency spread to Dagestan where shootouts between the Lions of Islam and police are almost routine occurrences and the illegal ownership of weapons is high.