NALCHIK, September 18. /TASS/. A home-made bomb was found in the zone of a counter-terrorism operation in the Kabardino-Balkaria Region, a regional law enforcement source told TASS. The source added that the militants eliminated during the operation were already identified.

"A home-made explosive device was found. Bomb technicians are working [on the site]. The eliminated [militants] were identified," the source said.

The men were plotting a terror attack, the information center of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) told TASS. "The militants were preliminarily identified. According to available information, they were going to commit terrorism-related crimes on the territory of the region," a NAC official said. Apart from the finished home-made explosive device, assault rifles and ammunition were found on the site of the shootout. No law enforcement officers were killed and no civilians were injured in the operation.

As a regional law enforcement source told TASS, the militants were members of a local cell of the Islamic State, a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia. "The two were members of an IS cell," the source said.

The regional operational headquarters earlier reported that a counter-terrorism operation regime was launched in part of the town of Chegem, Kabardino-Balkaria Region, in light of the crackdown on members of a religious extremist group and their supporters — terrorism plotters reportedly hiding in a private house.

The town of Chegem is located 9 km away from Nalchik. The counter-terrorism regime was declared on the eastern outskirts of the town where an industrial zone and private houses are located. Traffic on the nearby Kavkaz highway was not restricted.