Suicide car bomber strikes police in Russia’s volatile Caucasus province, wounding 18

Suicide bomber wounds 18 people in Russia’s south

NAZRAN, Russia — A suicide car bomber struck a group of policemen in Russia’s restive North Causasus on Thursday, killing himself and wounding at least 16 officers and two civilians, officials said.

The bomber attacked the group of policemen at a checkpoint in the city of Nazran in the province of Ingushetia, said Madina Khadziyeva, a spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry’s branch in the province. Ingushetia neighbors Chechnya to the west.

The explosion wounded 16 officers and two civilians, many of whom are in critical condition, said Svetlana Gorbakova of Russia’s top investigative body.

There have been a series of suicide attacks in the region and other violence stemming from two separatist wars in Chechnya over the last 15 years. Ingushetia’s regional president was badly wounded in a suicide attack in June and a suicide bombing of a police station in August killed at least 24 people.

Rights activists say that widespread abuses against civilians by police and security forces, including abductions, torture and killings, have contributed to swelling the ranks of militants.

Other North Caucasus provinces also have remained restive. In the province of Dagestan, police killed three suspected militants in a clash late Wednesday, said Mark Tolchinsky, a spokesman for the regional Interior Ministry’s branch.