MOSCOW. Jan 23 (Interfax) - Two militants have been killed in a counterterrorist operation in the village of Vperyod in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan on Saturday, the National Antiterrorism Committee (NAC) said in a statement shared with Interfax on Saturday.
"Two thugs who offered armed resistance in an exchange of fire [with security forces] were neutralized. It has been determined that they joined the so-called Khasavyurt gang in October last year and are responsible for a number of blatant terrorist crimes, including the killing of two policemen in December 2016," the NAC said.
The said militants extorted large sums of money from businessmen and then used this money to finance terrorist activities in the North Caucasus, the NAC said.
None of the security forces personnel or civilians were harmed in the course of the operation. Federal Security Service (FSB) bomb disposal experts are examining the scene of the armed clash. The necessary search and investigative measures are being taken, it said.
Interfax had learned earlier from a local security source that these two militants had been killed.
The NAC said it had obtained information on the presence of militants in Vperyod in the course of special investigative activities aimed at preventing terrorist crimes in the area.
"Special forces of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and Interior Ministry encircled the private house in which the armed thugs were hiding. The territory surrounding it had been cordoned off. In order to prevent terrorist attacks and ensure security of civilians, the head of the NAC operational headquarters in the republic launched the counterterrorist operation at 9:15 a.m. The residents of the nearby houses were evacuated," the NAC said.