Police hit by Ingushetia blasts

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Explosions have killed at least two people and injured 28 during a police search of a derelict house in Russia's troubled southern region of Ingushetia.

Police had gone to investigate reports of an improvised explosive device planted in the building.

Officials say a police officer and a civilian were killed.

Observers say the incident appears to be part of a violent campaign pitting Islamist insurgents and other militants against the pro-Moscow authorities.

The violence also affects Ingushetia's North Caucasus neighbours Chechnya and Dagestan.

Russian forces have fought two wars against separatists in the mainly Muslim republic of Chechnya since 1994. The conflicts claimed more than 100,000 lives and left the region in ruins.

President Dmitry Medvedev says violence in the North Caucasus remains Russia's biggest domestic problem. He says ending the acute poverty in the region is vital for restoring stability.

Experts say many young men in the region have joined a hard core of Muslim militants to fight for independence as a result of poverty and widespread abuses by the security forces, including kidnappings and torture.