Four militants killed in Dagestan police operation

Police killed four militants on Saturday in a special operation in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Dagestan, the Federal Security Service (FSB) said, RIA Novosti reported.

"The active phase of the operation is over," a spokesperson said. "Three of the dead fighters have been identified."

The operation began at 7:00 a.m. (03:00 GMT) in the village of Zubutli-Miatli in the Tizil-Yurt district of Daghestan.

Attacks on police and authorities blamed on Islamist militants and criminal groups have been a frequent occurrence in Dagestan, one of Russia's poorest regions.

Five people were killed and ten wounded as a suicide bomber drove a vehicle into the gates of the traffic police headquarters in Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala, in January.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev highlighted security and economic problems in the mainly Muslim North Caucasus late last year and ordered measures to end militant violence, clan rivalries, and pervasive corruption in the region.