Owner of house where militants were hiding killed in Bylym, locals report

The four casualties of the special operation held in the village of Bylym, Elbrus District of Kabardino-Balkaria, include the 32-year-old Takhir Atakuev, the owner of the blocked house. His wife and a baby were let out of the house before the assault, a villager told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent. According to unofficial data, two more casualties were identified as Arsen Khandokhov, the leader of the local underground grouping, and his associate Zalim Liev.

Let us remind you that the special operation in Bylym began in the morning on December 15. The village was put under the counterterrorist operation (CTO) regime; and power agents blocked one of the houses, where, according to their data, militants were hiding. As a result of negotiations, a woman with a baby was taken out of the house. In the evening, a shootout resulted in one wounded law enforcer two killed suspected militants, who later were indentified as Khandokhov, who was on the federal wanted list, and his closest aide Zalim Liev. On Monday morning, the operation, suspended for the night, was resumed; and two more men, who were hiding in the house, were killed.