Police Officer Killed In Daghestan

Unknown assailants have gunned down a police officer in Russia's Republic of Daghestan in the volatile North Caucasus region.

Daghestan's Interior Ministry says the incident took place early in the morning in the republic’s western city of Khasavyurt.

The 26-year-old police lieutenant, whose name was not made public, died after the attackers opened gunfire on his automobile. A passenger, who was inside the vehicle, was injured in the attack.

The North Caucasus has become Russia's most violence-plagued region in recent years. The violence is often linked to organized crime or an Islamic insurgency.

Militants in Daghestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia, and Kabardino-Balkaria frequently attack police, judges, and local officials, saying they are fighting to create an Islamic state in southern Russia.