FEATURE: Civil war slowly becomes everyday life in North Caucasus By Benedikt von Imhoff, dpa

Nalchik, Russia (dpa) - Three volleys of shots peal out, breaking the silence in the centre of Nalchik. Uniformed officers take shelter behind police vehicles on Lenin Prospect, their rifles at the ready.

But the shots hardly attract the attention of passers-by, who have become accustomed to the struggle with terrorist militants in the capital of the Russian republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, on the border with Georgia in the Northern Caucasus.

The Kremlin has as yet found no answer to the radical Islamists fighting for an independent "emirate" between Mount Elbrus and the Caspian Sea. According to human rights activists, this republic and the republic of Dagestan to the east are close to a state of civil war.

More troops are being sent to this largely Muslim region, which also suffers from the presence of criminal gangs. The entrenched clan system and widespread corruption only help to muddy the waters.

In March 2012 alone, Moscow sent in an additional 30,000 troops, in a clear indication that the local authorities were unable to cope with the situation. But the murders and attacks have continued unabated.

According to the Moscow daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta, the situation in the south has swallowed a quarter of the military budget in recent years, even though the North Caucasian Federal District occupies just 1 per cent of Russia‘s total area.

The threat of terrorism remains high, the secretary to the Security Council of Russia, Nikolai Patrushev, acknowledged. The authorities fear further attacks in the run-up to the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, on the Black Sea coast a few hundred kilometres to the east of Nalchik.

The terrorists have demonstrated repeatedly that the numerous military posts along the main roads are unable to deter them.

Sergey Chenchik of the Russian Interior Ministry says that more than 380 "bandits" were "neutralized" during 2012. This number has stayed more or less constant for years, even if regional leaders like the controversial head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, insist that the terrorists are on the back foot.

The security forces have suffered significant losses, with more than 200 killed in 2012 and 400 injured. Dozens of civilians have also died.

It is often unclear whether those arrested or killed by the security forces are in fact extremists, with innocent people often caught up in the violence, according to human rights activists. They say this radicalizes friends and relatives, who then "take to the mountains" in a spiral of violence.

"The political system is blocking the way for young people," says Nalchik lawyer Valery Chatashukov. "Democratic elections would solve the problems automatically," he says.

The current conditions are ripe for the Islamists, with unemployment high and few prospects for the young. "They make use of the internet and recruit at mosques and schools," Chatashukov says.

State structures fail regularly, as shown by the court case relating to an October 2005 attack by extremists on buildings used by the security forces, in which more than 100 died and many more were wounded. Dozens of suspects have remained in jail for years, still awaiting trial.

One of them is Daniil Chamukov, whose wife says the prisoners are not receiving proper medical treatment. Hepatitis C has become widespread.

"Seven years have gone by, and nothing has changed," she says, drawing her veil around her face as she sits in Chatashukov‘s office.

Independent observers see little progress in the conflict, even though the central government is pumping millions into the region.

A huge investment project with skiing and hiking resorts is intended to lure tourists instead of terrorists to this captivatingly beautiful region, while simultaneously generating tens of thousands of jobs.

But there is also widespread scepticism about whether investors will put money into a high-risk region. The Nezavisimaya Gazeta says the Kremlin is trying to create a "North Caucasian utopia."

Mahmud, an electrician in his late forties, is getting into his car in the centre of Nalchik. He ignores the gunfire.

"We see that kind of thing at least once a month," he says with evident boredom, before phoning his daughter to suggest that she should stay out of the centre after leaving school. dpa bvi hn rpm sit ncs