Global General
At least 6 killed, several injured in Chechen parliament attack
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-10-19 14:24
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MOSCOW - At least six people have died and several others injured and hospitalized in the terrorist attack on the regional parliament of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya Tuesday morning, the RIA Novosti news agency reported citing Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.
"At around 08:45 a.m. (0445 GMT) three militants opened fire at parliamentary security guards," said Kadyrov, adding that two police officers and one parliamentary administrative manager were killed.
The death toll of two policemen and one civilian has also been confirmed by Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev.
"Unfortunately, we have suffered losses: two policemen and one civilian were killed and three people have been hospitalized," said the minister as quoted by the Interfax news agency.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who was currently in Deauville, France, has been informed of the incident by head of the Federal Security Service Alexander Bortnikov, Nurgaliyev and Kadyrov, said the presidential press service.
So far the number of casualties remained different from different sources.
Kadyrov said the operation to destroy the militants has been completed now, with all gunmen killed, the Interfax said.
The deputy head of the republic's Interior Ministry Roman Edilov told RIA Novosti that four militants and two police officers had died during the operation.
He also dismissed reports that the militants had taken hostages.
According to an earlier report, four staff members of the Chechen parliament were killed when two of the attackers blew themselves up.
The Interfax reported that the two bombers blew themselves up at the door of the parliament building which was used to be the office building of the Agriculture Ministry of the republic, located at the Leninsky Street of the regional capital of Grozny, while other armed men broke into the building and began shooting.
The parliament then evacuated the people and conducted a special operation to eliminate the militants.
Earlier the RIA Novosti said one suicide bomber killed two people just outside the parliament on Tuesday morning. His accomplices who arrived at the scene by car stormed into the building and began shooting.
Spokesman of Russian Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said that an investigative group was set up in Grozny to probe the attack.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has conferred the incident with Kadyrov, and relevant compensation to victims and their families.
RIA Novosti reported citing the press service of Russian Interior Ministry that Nurgaliyev, who was currently in the regional capital of Grozny, has held an emergency meeting with Kadyrov over the terrorist attack.
This was reportedly the second incident in Chechnya in recent months, said RIA Novosti. In August, a suicide attack also rocked the Tsentori village, the birthplace of Kadyrov.
Violence is common for North Caucasus republics of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia with militants frequently assaulting police officers and authorities.
Moscow has vowed to bring stability to the region via improving social services, raising pensions and salaries as a measure to tackle corruption and terrorism infiltration.