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8 gunmen killed in two special operations in Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria

Two of them have been preliminarily identified

MOSCOW, July 14 (Itar-Tass) —— Eight gunmen were killed in two special operation in Russia’s North Caucasian republics of Dagestan and Kabardino-Balkaria, a spokesman for Russia’s National Anti-terrorism Committee told Itar-Tass on Saturday.

Thus, security services in Dagestan received information about possible movements of the so-called Sergokala and Izberbash militant groups. Security and police officers made an ambush in a forest near the settlement of Utamysh. Seven gunmen were killed there at about 23:40 Moscow time on Friday.

“Two of them have been preliminarily identified,” the spokesman said. One was identified as Islam Magomedov, born 1984, nicknamed Abdulkhalik or Hamster. He was the mastermind of the Sergokala group and has been on the federal wanted list since 2010. According to the National Anti-terrorism Committee, he was among organizers of and participants in armed assaults on police officers, manufacture and use of home-made explosive devices, arsons to mobile communications stations and the television and radio broadcasting centre, and in extortion of big sums from local businessmen. His gang was behind the shooting of the house of a bank executive in the settlement Sergokala in July 2011.

The other man, Arsen Magomedov, born 1983, nicknamed Abdula, was identified as the leader of the Izberbash gang. He has been on the wanted list since 2010. He was also involved in numerous murders of police officers and civilians and in bomb explosions of freight trains.

“However police sustained losses in the operation: one serviceman of Russia’s internal troops was killed and two others were wounded. One policeman was wounded. There were no casualties among civilians,” the spokesman said.

One more militant was killed in a special operation in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria, late on Friday. He was identified as Mulin Abazov, born 1989. He had two grenades, a trotyl block and a Makarov handgun.