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Militant leader killed in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus

12 August 2010 18:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. One of the leaders of a militant group in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Ingushetia was killed on Thursday in a shootout with police, a local law enforcement source said, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

According to the source, police tried to stop a Mercedes car carrying Kharun Pliyev and another unidentified militant near the village of Pliyevo in the Nazran district of Ingushetia.

"[The militants] resisted attempts at their arrest. Pliyev was seriously wounded from return fire and died shortly after the shootout," the source said.

The other passenger of the car managed to escape the scene. A search for him is currently underway.

"There were no casualties among the police officers or local residents," the official said.

Police found weapons, ammunition and a home-made hand grenade at the site of the shootout.

Pliyev was suspected of involvement in a series of attacks on police officers and military personnel in July.

Russia’s mainly Muslim North Caucasus republics, especially Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, have seen an upsurge of militant violence lately, with frequent attacks on police and officials.