Seven militants have been eliminated during a counter-terrorist operation in a suburb of Makhachkala, the capital of Russia's southern Republic of Dagestan, the National Anti-Terrorist Committee (NAC) announced.
"As a result of a detailed inspection of the area of conflict in the five-story building, a total of seven neutralized bandits have been found."
The counter-terrorist operation began on Saturday morning, after two militants who attacked a policeman on Thursday were traced to the building, which was then blocked off. Following negotiations, a child of one of the militants in the building was released. After the child's release, the active phase of the operation began.
According to the NAC, the neutralized militants were connected to a series of crimes, including murders and attempted murders of policemen, as well as extortion of large sums of money from local businessmen.
Russia continues operations against criminal and terrorist gangs in the northern Caucasus, particularly in the Republic of Dagestan. In February, counter-terrorist operations in the region led to the elimination of nine militants, and the arrest of four in seven operations. Terrorist activity decreased, with only one improvised explosive device disarmed and no explosions, compared to five disarmed IEDs and three explosions in February 2014. In addition, it was found that 14 residents of Dagestan are currently fighting in Syria on the side of anti-government forces, including ISIL.
