Security Actions Under Way in Russia’s Dagestan

MOSCOW, January 21 (RIA Novosti) – Anti-terrorism officials in Russia said Tuesday that special forces are conducting two operations in the turbulent region of Dagestan, which is believed to be the source of recent suicide attacks elsewhere in the country.

Russia is on high alert with the Winter Olympics, to be held in the southern resort town of Sochi, set to get under way early next month.

The number and location of alleged militants targeted in Tuesday’s operation were not disclosed, but a source told RIA Novosti that three fighters had been cornered by security forces outside the town of Khasavyurt.

Outbreaks of violence are an almost daily occurrence in Dagestan, where an Islamic insurgency has been ongoing for over a decade.

Three militants were killed in a shootout yesterday in Dagestan’s capital, Makhachkala, following a bomb and grenade attack on a restaurant in the city on Friday that wounded five.