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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Five police officials killed in bomb attack in Chechnya |
| 2008-05-06 |
| A bomb attack on a security checkpoint in Russia’s restive Chechnya province killed five policemen just days ahead of Dmitry Medvedev’s inauguration as new president, said police officials on Monday. The attack occurred just outside the capital Grozny on Sunday, the latest blow to a fragile peace established under Medvedev’s mentor, President Vladimir Putin. “Five interior ministry personnel were killed as a result of an explosion,” said Ramzan Edilov, head of the police department of Staropromyslovsky district. “According to provisional information, the device was home-made, as nuts, bolts and ball bearings were found at the scene,” said Edilov, adding, “The search for the criminals is underway, they will be found and liquidated.” Another policeman died on Sunday from gunshot wounds after two police jeeps came under automatic weapon fire on the outskirts of the capital, Russian news agencies reported, citing unidentified police sources. Officials were unable to confirm the shooting incident and most officials refused to talk about the blast. The suppression of Chechen separatists rebels has been touted as one of the main achievements of the eight-year government of Putin, who launched the second Chechen war in 1999. The first war, launched against pro-independence rebels by President Boris Yeltsin in 1994, was widely regarded as a black spot on the latter’s presidency. |
| Posted by:Fred |