Four fighters killed in Dagestan police operation

MAKHACHKALA, March 13, 2010 (RIA Novosti) -

Police killed four militants on Saturday in a special operation in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said.

"The active phase of the operation is over," a spokesperson said. "Three of the dead fighters have been identified."

The operation began at 7:00 a.m. (03:00 GMT) in the village of Zubutli-Miatli in the Tizil-Yurt district of Daghestan.

Attacks on police and authorities blamed on Islamist militants and criminal groups have been a frequent occurrence in Dagestan, one of Russia's poorest regions.

Five people were killed and ten wounded as a suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the gates of the traffic police headquarters in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala, in January.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev highlighted security and economic problems in the mainly Muslim North Caucasus late last year and ordered measures to end violence, clan rivalries, and pervasive corruption in the region.

A group of fighters cornered by police in south Russia

MAKHACHKALA, March 13, 2010 (RIA Novosti)

A group of Dagestan fighters has been surrounded in a village in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the regional branch of the Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Saturday.

"A group of militants has been blocked off in a private house in the village of Zubutli-Miatli in the Tizil-Yurt district of Daghestan. The number of fighters is still unknown," an FSB official said.

A heavy gunfight between police and the surrounded militants is underway, he added.

Russia's North Caucasus republics remain the "hot spots" of militant activity despite the efforts of the federal authorities to stop the bloodshed in the region.

Attacks on police, officials and troops, and special operations against militants have been reported almost daily in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.