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Senior security official killed in Russiaâ€™s North Caucasus

18 December 2011 04:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A senior Federal Security Service official has killed in a house attack in Russiaâ€™s volatile North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, a Russian Investigative Commitee spokesman said, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.

A police source earlier said four masked gunmen had broken into a house in the Dagestani city of Caspiisk, where Colonel Magomed Radzhabov was meeting with friends late on Saturday. The gunmen shot and killed Radzhabov and beat several other people, the source said.

According to preliminary data, Radzhabov was serving as deputy head of the Internal Security Directorate of the FSBâ€™s Border Guards Service in Dagestan.

Dagestan sees frequent militant attacks on police officers, FSB and other officials. The restive republic saw around 50% of all terrorist attacks in Russia in 2010.

The Russian presidential envoy to the North Caucasus, Alexander Khloponin, said in September that some 1,000 militants continue to operate in the region, which saw two brutal federal wars against separatists in Chechnya in the mid 1990s and early 2000s.

The Russian authorities have moved to improve the poor economic conditions in North Caucasus republics and curb unemployment, which are believed to be the main factors driving local residents to join militant groups. A special commission has been launched under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to address the issues of socio-economic development of the region.