20 police die in Russian suicide bomb

A SUICIDE bomber rammed a truck into a police station in the Russian region of Ingushetia, killing at least 20 police in the worst attack to ravage the poor North Caucasus republic in years.

The blast, which wounded more than 130 others, undermined Kremlin claims that its efforts to bring calm and prosperity to the impoverished patchwork of ethnic groups, clans and religions were succeeding. It also stoked fears that Ingushetia has replaced Chechnya as the next battleground in the southern Russian region.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which left the two-storey building smouldering and a crater in the compound’s courtyard, where the attacker detonated the bomb.