|
48
Dead In Chechen Bomb Attack On
Gov’t
Building
 |
|
The rubble of the deadly explosion
|
MOSCOW,
May 12 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Up to 48 people were
killed and more than 70 injured in Chechnya early Monday, May 12, when
a booby-trapped truck blew up a government building in a village north
of the capital Grozny, a local official told the Russian Novosti news
agency.
"These
actions are aimed at stopping the process of a political solution in
Chechnya
," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted Russian President Vladimir
Putin as commenting on the incident.
"We
cannot and will not allow this to happen," he added.
The
head of the republic's Nadterechny district, Sultan Akhmetkhanov, said
the death toll may rise as workers continue to search for victims.
"Security
services opened fire on the truck but unfortunately could not stop
it," Akhmetkhanov said.
The
truck tore through the gates and slammed into the building, causing a
deafening blast that also damaged six other buildings as well as the
government building, which also housed the local police and FSB
security services, according to Akhmad Kadyrov, head of
Chechnya
's pro-Russian administration.
Police
and interior ministry soldiers have sealed off the site as workers
with the republic's emergencies ministry and federal troops searched
the rubble for victims.
The
blast proved that federal and local forces were incapable of putting
an end to the operations of Chechen fighters, Kadyrov told Interfax
news agency.
"Where
did this car packed with explosives come from? How could it get to
Znamenskoye?" he asked.
Last
month, 16 people were killed in an attack on a minibus in
Chechnya
in a blast claimed by Chechen fighters who have vowed to step up
attacks to disrupt the results of a controversial March
vote that sealed
Chechnya
's place in the
Russian Federation
.
Kadyrov
said Monday's early morning blast was a direct attack on the March
vote, in which voters also gave their go-ahead for legislative and
presidential elections within the year.
"It
is against the people of the republic, who on the March 23 referendum
chose peace and life in staying within
Russia
," Kadyrov said.
|
