Militants killed in Russia's Dagestan identified

Two militants killed in Russia's Dagestan have been identified and are suspected of having murdered a policeman, an informed source said.

"These are Jumageldi Ajiniyazov and Kamal Ibragimov, both born in 1988. The criminals perpetrated an armed attack on a district police inspector in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan and murdered him," Interfax cited the source as saying.

The policeman was found dead in the Kizlyar district of Dagestan on Saturday. His police cruiser was burned in the Babayurt district. The assailants stole the officer's service-issue weapon. An anti-terrorist operation was launched on Sunday in the Babayurt and Kizilyurt districts where the assailants might have been hiding.

It was reported earlier on Monday that the police had tried to stop a suspicious vehicle for examination in the Babayurt district early on Monday morning. Unknown persons in the car opened fire at the police. They were shot and killed in the ensuing exchange of gunfire. The shooters were later identified as the militants involved in the murder of the police officer. There is preliminary information that the murdered policeman's weapon was found in their car.