Car bomb kills two Russian police officers

Two Russian police officers have been killed when a car bomb exploded near the border with Chechnya.

Police say their car was parked next to a long-distance telephone office in Khasavyurt, in Russia's Dagestan region next to the Chechen border.

The town's police chief Magomed Nasruddinov says that in addition to killing the two police officers, who were stationed in Chechnya, the blast wounded 15 people at the telephone office.

The conflict in Chechnya occasionally spills over into neighbouring regions in the form of explosions and skirmishes with local police forces.

Russia's 1994-6 war in Chechnya ended with a ceasefire agreement at Khasavyurt, which postponed a decision on Chechnya's status.

The issue was never decided, but the region effectively enjoyed independence until Russian troops returned after Chechnyan rebels raided Dagestan.