Moscow, May 08: Russian troops from the Interior Ministry have killed seven rebels in a large-scale security operation in restive North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan.
“According to preliminary data seven militants were killed in a large-scale security operation in a forest” in Kizlyar region in northern Dagestan, RIA Novosti quoted a local police source as saying on Sunday.
“Data on casualties among the staff of law enforcement agencies is currently the same: one soldier killed and three riot police officers were injured,” the source added.
Initial reports stated that three rebels were killed with fourth trying to flee the scene of the incident.
Russian security forces have been fighting rebels in the North Caucasus since the mid-1990s, as sporadic attacks and skirmishes remain unabated in the region, especially in Chechnya and Dagestan.
Violence has increased to such an extent it has almost become a daily occurrence in the Northern Caucasus following the two separatist wars in Chechnya in the 1990s.
Violence first erupted in Chechnya in 1994, when 250,000 people were forced to flee to neighboring territories because of a war between Chechen separatists and the Russian army.
After a short-lived and unstable peace from 1996 to 1999, war reignited following actions blamed on Chechen rebel groups. An estimated 100,000 people have been killed in the conflict and many more displaced.
Widespread unemployment, especially among young adults, is a major problem that has been attributed to an increased recruitment of people by separatists.
———Agencies