Caucasus Militant Reported Killed

Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee (NAK) has reported that a member of Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov's group has been killed in the Khasavyurt area of Daghestan.

The NAK said security forces conducted a special operation on December 28 at a home in the village of Petrovsk on the outskirts of Khasavyurt where a militant was hiding.

The militant, identified as Islam Atiev, exchanged fire with security forces before the building he was in caught fire.

The NAK did not say if Atiev died in the fire and there are reports the militant blew himself up when he ran out of ammunition.

The NAK said Atiev was 23 years old and had been a member of Umarov's rebel group since 2008.

Atiev was suspected of being involved in many attacks on law enforcement officers.