Police kill several militants in south Russia after siege

Several militants suspected of attacking police were killed on Thursday in a day-long police siege that began in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, police said.

Commandos cornered the militants on Wednesday afternoon when they were hiding in a private home on the outskirts of Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan.

Negotiations brought no results and the gunmen opened fire. One of the militants surrendered and the remaining were killed.

The exact number of militants killed in the shootout has not been determined.

No victims among police have been reported. Bomb experts are working inside the house, and police are searching the site and clearing the rubble.

More than a decade after the end of a federal war against separatists in Russia’s North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, Russian security forces continue to fight militants in other regions in the area, who stage frequent attacks on security forces, police and civilians.

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