Head of Dagestan’s press service shot dead

A manhunt is underway in Dagestan, after the head of the republic’s press service Garun Kurbanov was shot dead in the capital Makhachkala this morning.

Kurbanov was the main spokesperson for the head of Dagestan, and also a prominent journalist. Investigators say he was probably targeted in connection with his professional activities.

The killers fired at Kurbanov as he approached his car. The official’s driver was also killed in the attack.

The double murder was caught on CCTV, but the faces of the criminals were covered. The circumstances surrounding the attack are being verified.

“Garun Kurbanov was very concerned with the republic’s destiny,” the head of Dagestan’s mass media committee, Umarosman Gadzhiev, told RIA Dagestan news agency. “He took all Dagestan’s problems close to heart and cared about its future. Kurbanov was a man of iron will and original thought. He was always kind to his colleagues and subordinates. This is great loss to all of us.”

More than a decade after the end of a war against separatists in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, Russian security forces continue to fight militants in other regions in the area who frequently attack police and civilians.

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