Jihadists seize ministry building in Russia

Yes, it's a jihad in Chechnya. And the surrounding areas. From AP, with thanks to Nicolei:

VLADIKAVKAZ (Russia) - Assailants armed with grenade- and rocket-launchers seized the Interior Ministry headquarters in Ingushetia, a Russian region bordering warring Chechnya, killing the acting minister, a ministry official said on Tuesday. Attacks were also reported elsewhere in Ingushetia.

The Interior Ministry official said it was not immediately clear who the attackers were, but said some of them were shouting 'Allahu akhbar' - a frequent cry of Chechnya's separatist rebels ever as their insurgency increasingly comes under the influence of radical Islam.

Fighting from the 4-year-old Chechen war has occasionally spilled into Ingushetia, highlighting the Russian military's ineffectiveness against the rebels despite having heavier weapons and far superior manpower.

Posted by Robert at June 22, 2004 6:22 AM
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