MAKHACHKALA, July 8 /TASS/. A two-day anti-terrorism operation has ended in the Karabudakhkentsky district of Dagestan, a Russian republic in the North Caucasus. Nine militants have been killed, a source at the National Anti-Terrorism Committee of Dagestan told TASS.

"The anti-terrorism operation regime was lifted at 18.09 Moscow time. All operational procedures had been completed," he said.

TASS reported earlier that the Dagestani security forces had combed the area and fired on a forest where the militants, with whom they had clashed on Friday morning, could be hiding.

The counter-terrorism operation regime was imposed in Dagestan’s Karabudakhkentsky district of Dagestan at 3:30am Moscow time; nine militants, including Gusein Tagirov, the chieftain of the Makhachkala gang, were killed; one serviceman was killed and three more were injured.

Two men suspected of aiding militants were detained in the same district.

Ammunition, components for making bombs and one explosive device with a yield of up to 5 kg of TNT were found in a household occupied by the suspects. The house was partly destroyed by an explosion, which occurred when field engineers were trying to clear it from mines.

A Dagestani law enforcement source told TASS that the security forces would try to completely destroy the Makhachkala gang.