Seven killed as Russian security forces corner suspected militants in Dagestan

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/russian-security-militants-dagestan-sochi

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Three members of the Russian security forces and four gunmen were killed in a shootout on Wednesday during a sweep for Islamist militants, who have threatened to attack the Winter Olympics, which begin in Sochi next month.

After two suicide bombings in southern Russia in December, Moscow is on high security alert. Russian president Vladimir Putin has staked much personal and political prestige on the success of the Games, and put security forces on combat footing in Sochi.

Russia's National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said the dead militants included a man accused of carrying out a car bomb attack in the city of Pyatigorsk late last year that killed three people.

The shootout occurred on the same day that Russia's lower house of parliament, the Duma, introduced legislation aimed at broadening the powers of security services and boosting their oversight of the internet.

Voting has yet to be held on the bill, which the daily newspaper Vedomosti said was worked out during closed sessions between MPs and representatives of the federal security service and the interior ministry.

The group of militants had been trapped in a house in the village of Karlanyurt in Dagestan, the NAC said in a statement. Five officers were also wounded in what a spokesman called a special operation.

Police said they defused two explosive devices at the house where the militants fought with the security forces. Russian television showed images of grey plumes of smoke rising later from a house in the impoverished North Caucasus region.

The capital of Dagestan, Makhachkala, is about 385 miles east of Sochi. The mostly Muslim region is plagued by bombings and shootings that target state and police officials as part of militants' fight to create an Islamist state.

At least 34 people were killed last month in suicide bombings in the southern city of Volgograd. Putin ordered safety measures to be strengthened nationwide after the attacks.

About 37,000 personnel are now in place to provide security in Sochi, which is located on the Black Sea and on the western edge of the Caucasus mountains. The International Olympic Committee has expressed confidence the Games will be safe.

But, underlining the danger of attacks, security forces said on Saturday they had arrested five members of a banned militant group in southern Russia and defused a homemade bomb packed with shrapnel.

The main spokesman for Russian Federation's Investigative Committee, whose responsibilities include looking into bombings and other attacks, appealed to civilians on Tuesday to be more vigilant and help avert the threat of "terrorist" attacks.

The insurgency is driven by a mix of religious fundamentalism and anger among local residents over corruption and efforts by appointed, pro-Moscow regional leaders to clamp down on militants.

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