A female suicide bomber killed five cops by blowing herself up at a traffic police post in Dagestan.
The woman detonated her bomb late on Tuesday outside Karabudakhkent, 40 kilometers south of the provincial capital Makhachkala, RIA-Novosti reported, quoting local police.
"The female terrorist approached the [traffic police] enclosure and blew herself up," a police official said.
An unofficial Islamist website, Kavkazcenter.com, said up to 10 policemen had been killed in the attack and that it was carried out by a woman suicide bomber supported by insurgents who executed policemen wounded during the blast.
The rebels want to create an Islamic state ruled by sharia, or Muslim law, in the region, which is close to Sochi, where the Winter Olympics will be held in 2014.
The same insurgents said they carried out a suicide bombing at Moscow's Domodedovo Airport that killed 37 people in January 2011, and twin bombings that killed 40 people on Moscow's metro in 2010.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
