Blast Rips Home of Chechnya Official

An explosion ripped through the home of a district leader in Chechnya, wounding her and killing her brother. It was the latest in a series of attacks on pro-Russian officials. Chechen rebels are targeting local officials who work with federal authorities, aiming to cripple Moscow’s efforts to build a stable local government, Russian officials say. In the latest attack, a bomb went off at the house of Isita Gairbekova, head of Chechnya’s Nozhai-Yurt district. Gairbekova, her mother and sister were injured and her brother was killed, said an official with the pro-Moscow Chechen administration, speaking on condition of anonymity.