Five or six suspected militants killed in Nalchik

The active phase of the counterterrorist operation (CTO), launched today in the city of Nalchik, the capital of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic (KBR), is over, said a law enforcement source.

The CTO regime was introduced today at 3:00 a.m. Moscow time in the area bordered by Lenin Avenue and Kuashev, Rybalko, Schors, Kabardinskaya and Tolstoy Streets. In the area, law enforcers entered an armed clash with suspected militants, who rendered armed resistance. Power agents evacuated tenants from the 9-storey building in Nalchik, where the suspected militants had been blocked.

As a result of the CTO, in central Nalchik, at least five members of illegal armed formations (IAFs) were killed. The active phase of the operation is over; the site is studied by explosive experts, said the source.

"According to preliminary data, some 5-6 bandits have been neutralized, including the owner of the apartment," the RIA "Kabardino-Balkaria" quoted the power agent at 8:16 Moscow time.

The RIA "Novosti" reported at 8:41 Moscow time that the casualties and their exact number were being established.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.