MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) - A militant gang surrounded by Interior Ministry troops in central Daghestan includes "a number of notorious people," a senior official said Saturday.
"The surrounded fighters include major figures," Sergei Bunin said.
One soldier was killed and four others wounded in a shootout during the start of an operation being conducted by a combined force of military and federal security units.
"The operation is being conducted after a planned preparation, although we suffered an unfortunate setback in the beginning - one soldier has been killed and four other wounded," Bunin said.
A local police official said earlier that the federal troops were sweeping the area in pursuit of a militant group numbering about 20 people.
