Russia kills 4 militants in restive north Caucasus

Four militants have been killed in a special forces raid in Russia's North Caucasus, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee (NAC) said Monday. Security services and police searched for militants suspected of committing terrorist crimes in the Elbrus district of Kabardino-Balkaria republic on Sunday and Monday, the NAC information service said. Special-purpose units forces trapped the armed people inside a house and killed four of them, including a ringleader named Arsen Khandokhov, it said. Authorities found "large amounts of weapons and ammunition" at the scene as well as a homemade bomb laboratory in the house basement. In addition, a Federal Security Service bomb squad defused two homemade time bombs that were equivalent to 20 and 25 kg of TNT, it said. One serviceman was injured in the operation, with no civilian casualties reported.