Ingushetia's construction minister killed

Ingushetia's construction minister, Ruslan Amerkhanov, was shot and killed in his office in the capital Magas this morning, according to the Russian state news agency Itar-Tass.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is presumed to be the latest in a string of politically motivated assassinations in the volatile republic.

The predominately Muslim region of the Caucasus has seen a string of attacks against pro-Moscow public figures and institutions in recent months. On June 10 Ingushetia's Supreme Court chairwoman Aza Gazgireyeva was shot dead. Two weeks later president Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was seriously injured in an assassination attempt.

With a population of less than 500000, and an area of some 4000 km2 Ingushetia is the smallest of Russia's semi-autonomous federal subjects.