NAZRAN, June 2 (RIA Novosti) - A police officer, who was shot in the head during an attack on a police checkpoint in the north of Russia's republic of Ingushetia, has died in hospital, an interior ministry spokesman said on Monday.
The attack, which lasted 10-15 minutes, occurred in the early hours Monday when four militants opened fire on the post in the Malgobek district of the North Caucasus republic. Police returned fire, but it is unknown if there were any casualties among the militants.
Investigators are currently working at the scene and additional police checkpoints have been set up in the area: "All suspicious vehicles are being checked, a search is being conducted for the criminals and an 'all points bulletin' has been issued, witnesses are also being interviewed," a police official said.
Attacks on police and authorities are frequent in Ingushetia bordering on Chechnya, where the Kremlin conducted two campaigns to fight militants and terrorists after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The violence is attributed both to militant and criminal activity.
In a separate development, a 31-year-old Russian serviceman was injured when a home-made explosive device went off Monday in southwest Chechnya.
