Moscow , Russia ( CNN ) -- A car bomb in the Russian republic of Dagestan killed a driver and injured a government official and his two bodyguards on Saturday , state-run news agencies said . Bekmurza Bekmurzayev -- Dagestan 's minister of national policy , Information and external relations -- received minor , non life-threatening , injuries , Itar-Tass reported . Investigators said the victims were headed to work in two cars from the minister 's apartment in Makhachkala , the region 's capital , when a device at the bottom of one of the vehicles exploded seconds later and caused a fire . It was n't clear which car Bekmurzayev was riding in . Bekmurzayev was targeted because of his work , Itar-Tass said . Similar attacks in 2003 and 2005 killed his two predecessors , Russia Today said . Moscow has been targeting terrorism in Dagestan and other regions of the Caucasus , such as Ingushetia and Chechnya . In recent years , Dagestan has faced ethnic friction , spillover from the discord in neighboring Chechnya and attacks on government officials by Islamists , the International Crisis Group said .
Dagestan is in the turbulent Caucasus region . The minister suffered from minor injuries . Similar attacks killed his predecessors .