Security forces killed two Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) members after they refused to lay down arms and barricaded themselves in rural Dagestan, in southern Russia. Several special forces soldiers were also injured.
The standoff, which was recorded on video by security staff, happened in a house in rural Dagestan, the National Anti-Terrorism Committee told reporters on Saturday. The militants were identified as local men, 19 and 29 years old.
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Two members of state security agency FSB and a member of the Russian National Guard were wounded during the firefight with the jihadists. No civilians were hurt, though the firefight occurred inside a settlement.
The National Anti-Terrorist committee said that the killed men were responsible for "a number" of civilian deaths, a mosque explosion, and the desecration of a grave of a prominent religious figure.
Two Kalashnikov rifles and a supply of ammunition were found in their hideaway, but no evidence of other extremists. A video posted by the security services showed heavy damage to the house, and laid out the seized weapons.
Dagestan, which has recently made the headlines as the homeland of martial artist Khabib Nurmagomedov, is considered one of the hotbeds of Islamist radicalism inside Russia, and authorities say that at least 55 people were killed in related incidents last year.