MAKHACHKALA, October 17 (RIA Novosti) – A suspected militant was killed Thursday night in an exchange of gunfire with police in Russia's restive North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, a local Interior Ministry official said.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said a driver opened fire on police when they requested that he stop his vehicle in the town of Khasavyurt at 21:50 local time (1750 GMT).
“He was killed by return fire. A policeman and a female passerby were injured during the shootout,” the spokesman said.
The official said the injured were taken to hospital for treatment.
Khasavyurt lies on the border with the republic of Chechnya, which has in recent years seen a fall in the incidence of violent clashes between militant groups and law enforcement officials.
More than a decade after the formal end of a federal military campaign against separatists in Chechnya, Russian security forces continue to fight militants in Dagestan and other regions in the area, who stage frequent attacks on security forces, police and civilians.
