Two Russian police dead, three soldiers injured in Caucasus attacks

Nov 2, 2011, 8:47 GMT

Moscow - Two Russian police officers died and three soldiers were injured by suspected rebels in the violent Caucasian province of Dagestan, the Interfax news agency reported on Wednesday.

Attackers shot dead the two police officers as they were driving in a squad car down a road near the village of Babayurt, some 1,600 kilometres south of Moscow, in the early morning.

Police later found a burnt vehicle thought to have been used by the assailants. A search for suspects was in progress, the report said.

In a second incident, three soldiers suffered injuries during a firefight with suspected insurgents in a wooded region near the village of Bashanamakhi, some 20 kilometres to the sough of Babayurt. One was hit by small arms fire and two more by fragments after triggering a tripwire mine, an army spokesman said.

Russia's Caucasus region have been the scene of fighting between government forces and rebels for more than 20 years. Dagestan is its most restive region. Kremlin troops generally control the towns and cities, while rebels maintain hideouts in the territory's rugged forests and mountains.

Read more about Caucasus