Twenty police officers were killed and 45 injured in 2016, it was announced in an expanded meeting of the board of the Interior Ministry of Daghestan.

Abdurashid Magomedov, Minister of Internal Affairs, said that crime in the region has fallen over the past year, with more cases solved and considerable damage done to illegal gangs.

However, in the republic’s fight against insurgents, 20 police officers were killed: two members of the FSB and 18 from the Interior Ministry. Additionally, 45 police officers were injured.

The board observed a minute of silence in memory of those killed.