Russian security forces say they have killed six militants in a special operation in the North Caucasus region of Daghestan.
The National Antiterrorism Committee (NAK) said on September 7 that the militants included Magomed Khalimbekov, who was described as a local gang leader.
According to the NAK, Khalimbekov and five other militants killed in the regional capital, Makhachkala, and Daghestan's eastern city of Izberbash were involved in a series of attacks against law-enforcement officials and civilians.
Daghestan has been at the epicenter of a wave of violence by armed criminal groups and by militants seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate in the North Caucasus.
Organized crime, business turf wars, political disputes, and clan rivalry also contribute to the bloodshed in the region.