Russian officer, militant, die in shootout in Caucasus

MOSCOW – Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee says a special forces officer has been killed in a shootout with a militant that also left the fighter dead.

The clash occurred Thursday in a rural area of Dagestan, a republic in the Russian Caucasus where insurgent violence is frequent.

The committee said in a statement that the militant was cornered by law-enforcement officers and opened fire after being ordered to lay down his arms. The statement did not say what branch of service the dead officer was from.

Dagestan is a predominantly Muslim region between Chechnya and the Caspian Sea. Following two separatist wars in neighbouring Chechnya, an Islamist insurgency spread to Dagestan where shootouts between the militants and police are common.