Militant kills himself when planting land mine

A militant has blown himself when planting a land mine.

A representative of the Joint Group of Forces in the North Caucasus reported on Tuesday that yesterday servicemen of the group involved in engineering reconnaissance spotted a suspiciously looking man at the side of the road on the outskirts of the Dyshne-Vedeno village. Upon seeing federal servicemen, the unknown person became nervous and a few seconds later an explosion was heard.

The militant was killed on the spot, and it is impossible to identify him, the representative of the Joint Group of Forces said.

According to preliminary information, the militant had planted a land mine based on a 152-mm projectile. No group servicemen were hit.

"Similar explosions have been frequent in Chechnya of late. This testifies to the fact that militants are now lacking in expert bomb planters and incompetent people are involved in preparing acts of terror," the agency's source explained.