MOSCOW, May 19. /TASS/. Four militants, including their chieftain, from the so-called Kadar armed gang were killed during a special operation in Dagestan, the National Counter-Terrorism Committee’s information center told TASS.

"Last night, a group of armed gang members were spotted in a house in the village of Karamakhi during a search operation conducted under current legal conditions. The group was sealed off by special forces. The gang members opened fire following demands that they lay down their arms and surrender. Four militants were eliminated by the special forces during the shootout that followed," the committee reported.

There are no victims among the law enforcement officers and no wounded among the civilian population.

As the committee reported, the militants that were killed, were what was left of the so-called Kadar armed gang, the core of which had been destroyed last year. "The bodies were identified as the group leader and his accomplices notorious for their cruelty and cynicism. The gang conducted numerous terror crimes, including the murder of the administrative head of the Karamakhi village and other officials, in addition to shaking down business owners for large sums of money," the report said.

The active phase of the special operation has been completed, and search operations and an investigation are now underway.