ISTANBUL

Russia said on Wednesday that it killed four ISIS (Daesh)-linked militants during a counter-terrorism operation declared overnight in part of its Republic of Dagestan.

The National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) told local news agencies, including TASS, that the militants were “neutralized” in the operation in the Kirovsky district of Makhachkala, the region’s administrative center.

It said the militants were blocked on the outskirts of the settlement of Semender, situated within Kirovsky, and were planning to attack a regional Interior Ministry facility in the city of Kaspiysk. There were no reports of casualties.

Sergey Melikov, head of the Republic of Dagestan, said on Telegram that various arms, including grenade launchers, improvised explosive devices and machine guns were found at the scene and in a nearby cache.

Melikov said the group’s activities, based on available information, were coordinated by members of the terror group.

He added that the counter-terrorism operation regime was lifted in the district, and the situation in the region was calm, with the necessary operational and investigative actions still ongoing.

“I regard the bandits' actions as doomed attempts at comprehensive measures to destabilize the situation in our region,” Melikov said.