Global General

Police officer killed in Russia's Dagestan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-05-07 21:45

MOSCOW - One police inspector was shot dead by unidentified assailants late on Thursday night, said the regional interior ministry of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on Friday.

"Unidentified attackers shot and killed police captain Magomed Saigidov in his courtyard in the village of Tsvetkovka at about midnight," a law enforcement source was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Preliminary investigation showed the victim had multiple gunshot wounds, possibly by two automatic weapons.

As Russia is set to hold grand celebrations on Sunday for the 65th anniversary of Victory Day, the country's police forces have strengthened a crackdown on illegal militants to prevent possible sabotage on the celebrations, local media reported.

Police in the neighboring republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia have reported killings of at least three insurgents over the past few days.

Russia's North Caucasus republics, particularly Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, have been plagued by violence, particularly against law enforcement officers, which local rebels see as representing the Russian authorities.

The Kremlin has pledged to wage "a ruthless fight" against militant groups, but also acknowledged a need to tackle unemployment, organized crime, clan rivalry and corruption as causes of the ongoing violence in the North Caucasus region.