Car blast in Russia's Dagestan kills policeman

MAKHACHKALA, Russia, March 10 (Reuters) - A car exploded on Friday in the Russian region of Dagestan killing a senior policeman and wounding his driver, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The blast ripped through the car as it was being driven along a street in the republic's capital, killing the deputy head of the local criminal police department, who was a passenger in the car. His driver was wounded.

Dagestan, a Muslim republic which borders Chechnya, has been targeted by Islamist militants, who Russian authorities say are seeking to destabilise the republic and create an Islamic state in the North Caucasus.

Rebel groups say they are responding to police brutality and official corruption.