Female suicide bomber attacks police in Russia’s Dagestan

Moscow, May 26 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A female suicide bomber in Russia’s turbulent region of Dagestan blew herself up, killing one and injuring at least 14 others, including police officers, officials said.

The attacker, later identified as Madina Aliyeva, a 25-year-old widow of two Islamic militants killed by security forces, attempted to target the regional police headquarters in Makhachkala, capital of the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan.

Earlier reports put the number of injured at 12, but later the number mounted to 15, including five police officials. A wounded woman died later in hospital.

A cameraman with Russian state-run television station was wounded.

According to witness accounts, the woman bomber arrived at the scene by a taxi and started talking to a group of policemen before carrying out the explosion.

She was identified by the anti-terrorist committee as Madina Aliyeva, who was married to rebels whose last names were Aliyev and Dzhapayev. They were killed in separate shootouts with security forces.

An investigatior said she had travelled abroad to meet active members of the Islamist insurgency while preparing for the attack.

Female suicide bombers are often called “black widows” in Russia because many are widows of radicals in the North Caucasus region.

In a separate incident, an unidentified man shot and wounded two police officers who stopped him for a document check in Makhachkala, the investigative committee said. The attacker fled the scene.

–IANS/RIA Novosti

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