Two men have been killed in Daghestan’s Shamilsky District during a counterterrorism operation. The National Anti-Terrorism Committee say the men were militants belonging to the Shamilskaya Group.

A counterterrorism operation regime was introduced in Shamilsky District on Monday night.

‘A few days before the start of the special operation, law enforcement officials received information that there were militants in the village of Teletl in Shamilsky District. Before the start of the operation, the criminals were offered the chance to surrender, but they opened fire on security forces. Two criminals were liquidated by return fire. According to our information, these were members of the Shamil criminal group’, a source in Daghestani law enforcement told OC Media.

Citing a source in law enforcement agencies, Kavkaz.Realii reports that the slain were Saygidulbatal Mirzoyev, born in 1990, and Magomed Mirzoyev. Both reportedly had previous convictions for ‘illegal storage of weapons’.

A video posted on the website of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee suggests the operation was not conducted in a house, as is usual, but in the open air not far from a forest.

According to the press service of the National Anti-Terrorism Committee, in 2015–2016 the pair committed a number of murders and extorted money. The crimes attributed to them include the murder of the head of the village of Teletl Mukhtar Kurbanov in November 2015, as well as the murder of former police chief Magomed Magomedov in April 2016.

The counter-terrorist operation regime in Shamilsky District is still in place meaning that there are still restrictions on movement and the use of mobile communications, and a curfew is in effect.

Security forces are still searching for accomplices. Officers say they found weapons and ammunition during a search of the area. No one else has been reported injured in the operation.