MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. Two followers of the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) have been killed in a counterterrorism operation in the Russian North Caucasus region of Dagestan, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) told TASS on Saturday.

"Today, during a search carried out as part of a counterterrorism operation in the Khasavyurt region of the Republic of Dagestan, the security bodies were tipped off that armed gunmen had been holing up in a private house in the village of Endirei. They [gunmen] were involved in some terrorism-related crimes," NAC said.

The house was sealed off by Russia’s FSB Spetsnaz backed by the National Guard and police, the neighboring households were evacuated.

"During a fight, two criminals, who refused to lay down arms and surrender, were neutralized," NAC said. "In the exchange of fire, two officers of the FSB special ops unit and one officer of the Russian National Guard were wounded."

None of the civilians were hurt.

According to the operations center, the killed militants were involved in attacks on law enforcers, including the murders of two police officers in 2018.

"This operation of security forces and law enforcement agencies was the final one to eradicate the criminal activity of Islamic State followers in the republic’s Khasavyurt region. They are responsible for murders of civilians, including the murder of a resident of the village of Toturbiykal in 2017 and the imam in the village of Mutsalaul this year as well as for the explosion of the mosque and vandalism on the grave of Dagestan’s prominent religious activist Said Afandi Chirckeysky," NAC said.

The investigation is underway.