Medvedev vows hard-line policy against North Caucasus militants

President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that Russia must maintain a tough stance against militants in the turbulent North Caucasus, local media reported.

"As far as these militants are concerned, our policy remains the same," Medvedev said during a meeting with Alexander Bortnikov, head of the Federal Security Service (FSB). "They should simply be eliminated, and this must be done systematically."

The president urged the FSB to cooperate with the Interior Ministry and other government agencies in fighting against rising violence in the North Caucasus republics.

"Our task is to create normal living conditions in our southern republics," he said. The effort, Medvedev said, could also help boost social-economic development and create jobs.

Russia's North Caucasus republics of Ingushetia, Dagestan and Chechnya have been plagued by instability and violence in recent months. Six police officers were killed in a suicide car bombing near Dagestan on Wednesday.

Source: Xinhua