December 6, 2013 - 10:18 AMT
5 suspected militants killed in Russian North Caucasus

Law enforcement officers have killed five suspected militants in the Russian North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, police said Thursday, December 5, according to RIA Novosti.

Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said the suspects belonged to “the Khasavyurt gang” and had been involved in attempts to kill police officers and extortion.

Police said the suspects had opened fire on policemen the day before.

Dagestan in recent years has been the epicenter of the Islamist insurgency in Russia’s turbulent North Caucasus, plagued with violence and regular clashes between militants and federal forces.