MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. The militant who was killed during a counterterrorism operation in the Russian North Caucasus region of Dagestan was aligned with the Islamic State international terrorist group banned in Russia, the country’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said on Saturday.
"Spetsnaz of Russia’s FSB Federal Security Service supported by the National Guard and police had sealed off the house where the bandit was holed up. The criminal who had refused to lay down arms and surrender was neutralized in a fight," the committee said.
"According to available intelligence, he is Yunus Khabibob, who featured on the federal wanted list. He is said to pledge allegiance to the ISIS international terrorist organization (former name of IS) and followed its orders as a ringleader of the gang that had previously operated in a mountainous and forested area (in Dagestan’s Botlikh district - TASS)," it said.
Russia’s NAC said that it had been reported earlier that an armed gunman was hiding in a private house in a village of the Botlikh district. He was reported to have committed some terrorism-related crimes. Dagestan’s FSB chief ordered a counterterrorism operation on Saturday afternoon.
"A sniper rifle and ammo, a grenade, a radio transceiver and thermal imaging camera were recovered on the scene," NAC said. "There are no casualties among civilians and law enforcers.".