1st LD Writethru: At least 6 police officers wounded in checkpoint blast in Russia's Chechnya
Xinhua, May 9, 2016 Adjust font size:
At least six police officers were wounded in a suicide bombing at a checkpoint in Russia's Chechnya region on Monday, authorities said.
The blast ripped through a checkpoint in Chechnya's capital city Grozny at around 7 a.m. local time (0400 GMT).
"Today, police officers prevented two armed men carrying grenades and explosives from entering through Checkpoint No.138 on the Grozny outskirts," RIA Novosti news agency quoted Chechnya's Interior Ministry as saying.
The ministry added that six officers were wounded, with several of them in a grave condition.
One of the attackers detonated an explosive, while the other was killed before he could trigger a second explosion, RIA Novosti reported, quoting a local security source.
No further investigation details have been released so far.
The incident came as the country is celebrating the 71st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War, Russia's term for its resistance against Nazi Germany in World War II.
Chechnya, one of the republics of Russia's North Caucasus, is an easy target for terrorists and extremists.
The collapse of the Soviet Union has left North Caucasus a main source of global terror activities as separatists of the Chechnya Republic keep seeking independence. Endi