Two of the three militants blockaded in the village of Oktyabskoye in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Dagestan were killed in special operation on Friday, a regional law enforcement source told RIA Novosti.
“As a result of the clashes, security officials managed to wipe out two of the militants, while another one is offering armed resistance,” the source said.
“This gang is especially dangerous and, according to the operational headquarters of National Antiterrorist Committee in the Republic of Dagestan, was involved in the murder of police officers at a polling station in the village in the October presidential elections,” the Russian National Antiterrorist Committee said in a statement.
There is no data on casualties among the security forces so far, he said.
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.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev highlighted security and economic problems in the mainly Muslim North Caucasus late last year and ordered measures to end militant violence, clan rivalries, and pervasive corruption in the region.
