Police in Russia's volatile North Caucasus region say at least 19
people were killed and nearly 70 were wounded in the region's deadliest
bombing in months.
Local officials in Ingushetia say a truck bomb exploded Monday at
police headquarters in the city of Nazran. They say the truck rammed
through the gates of the compound and exploded as police officers were
lining up for their morning roll call.
Law enforcement said the bomb included more than 20 kilograms of
explosives and severely damaged cars and buildings in the area. At
least nine of the wounded are children.
Government forces have battled separatists in Ingushetia, Chechnya and
other parts of southern Russia since the breakup of the Soviet Union in
1991. Deadly clashes remain common in the country's restive southern
republics.
A week ago, militants in Dagestan opened fire on police who had stopped
their car, killing at least two officers and wounding one other. A
police spokesman there said officers returned fire and killed one
militant.
And earlier this month, Russian officials say militants in Chechnya
ambushed several police vehicles as they patrolled the area, killing at
least five officers and wounding six others.