Massive illegal arms captured in Russia's North Caucasus

A large amount of illegal weapons have been seized in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria over the past week, said a local official on Monday.

More than 300 light weapons of various kinds were seized, including 53 pistols, 209 muskets and 41 rifles. Some 2 kg of drugs were also seized in the operation.

The search involved hundreds of local residencies, private properties and arsenals, the unnamed official from the regional investigation department of the Russian Prosecutor's Investigative Committee told the Itar-Tass news agency.

Meanwhile, Valery Etezov, an armed rebel that is on the international wanted list, has been killed in Nalchik, capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, said the official, adding that Etezov was involved in attacks on law enforcement officers.

In January, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev established the country's eighth federal district in the North Caucasus, which groups the republics of Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Karachayevo-Cherkessian, North Ossetia-Alania and Chechnya, as well as the Stavropol territory.

The move reflected a shift of the Kremlin's tactics in tackling the economic backwardness, rampant militant violence and clan rivalry in North Caucasus, which Medvedev regards as major security threats to Russia.

Source: Xinhua