Residents of the village of Andi, in the Botlikh District of Daghestan, had their homes searched and passports checked by law enforcement officers on 7 February.

A counterterrorist operation (KTO) was conducted in the village, as security forces searched for suspected militants and their accomplices.

When a settlement is placed under a KTO, the freedom of movement of local inhabitants is restricted. Their homes can be entered by law enforcement in order to conduct a search and residents who seem suspicious to security forces can be taken away for interrogation. As a rule, such conversations take place without the presence of a lawyer.

‘Security forces inspect houses and check documents. There was no shooting to be heard in the village this time’, Caucasian Knot reported. According to the news agency, this is the first KTO to be introduced in Botlikh District this year. In 2016, three were conducted in Andi itself.