Chechen leader's security officers attacked

Security officers of the head of the Chechen administration, Akhmad Kadyrov, have been attacked in the Alleroi village in Chechnya's Kurchaloi District.

Five people were injured in the attack, including three security officers, the head of Kadyrov's security service, Ruslan Alkhanov, said on Tuesday.

He said masked men had opened fire from grenade launchers and submachine-guns in the house of the Bakhayev brothers who work in the security service. Both brothers and their father were seriously injured. Another security officer, Sultan Aidamirov, and the Bakhayevs' neighbour were injured in a shootout.

Alkhanov said that although the attackers were wearing masks, he knows what bandit group made the attack. He emphasised that "punishment will follow without delay." Alleroi is Aslan Maskhadov's clan village. A week ago, a 25-strong self-defence detachment was formed in the village following sharp aggravation of the criminal situation there.